PACIFIC     AND    INDIAN 

• 

I 

OCEANS: 


- 


THE    SOUTH    SEA    SURVEYING 

AND 


EXPLORING   EXPEDITION: 


ITS 


INCEPTION,  PROGRESS,  AND  OBJECTS. 


BY    J.    N.    REYNOLDS. 

\\ 


NE  W-YORK: 
PUBLISHED   BY  HARPER  &  BROTHERS 

NO.    82    CUFF-STREET. 
1841. 


DEDICATION. 


TO  THE  TIPPECANOE   AND   OTHER   HARRISON  ASSOCIATIONS  OF  THE   CITY 
AND   STATE  OF   NEW-YORK. 

I 

FELLOW-CITIZENS, 

When  I  had  prepared  and  arranged  the  materials  contained  in 
this  volume,  the  question  occurred  to  me,  To  whom  shall  I  dedi- 
cate my  work?  Who  will  value  it  most?  Whose  sympathies 
will  last  the  longest?  The  answer  was  in  my  heart,  the  great 
body  of  those  popular  associations,  with  whose  patriotic  efforts  I 
have  taken  some  part  in  the  late  glorious  triumph  of  the  many 
over  the  few — of  principle  over  power. 

When  deprived  the  privilege  of  accompanying  the  expedition, 
even  as  a  volunteer  at  my  own  expense,  I  have  no  doubt  a  bitter 
smile  was  on  my  lips,  and  that  my  countenance  wore  a  melancholy 
cast,  derived  from  reflections  somewhat  akin  to  that  of  the  philoso- 
phic Jaques,  "  compounded  of  many  simples  extracted  from  many 
objects,  and,  indeed,  the  sundry  contemplation  of  my  labours; 
which,  by  often  rumination,  wraps  me  in  a  most  humorous  sadness;" 
but  no  one  heard  from  me  either  murmur  or  complaint.  Inured  to 
hardy  culture,  and  self-relying  from  my  boyhood,  I  have  now  no 
personal  wrongs  to  be  redressed — no  complaints  to  utter — no  sym- 
pathies to  ask !  Indeed,  when  the  vessels  composing  the  exploring 
squadron  weighed  anchor  at  Norfolk,  I  looked  on  with  aspirations 
for  their  success  ;  it  was  the  expedition  for  which  I  had  laboured, 
not  a  place  in  it ;  and  I  felt  as  one  whose  triumph  was  complete, 
save  only  that  the  scientific  corps  had  been  mutilated,  and  Com- 
modore Jones  and  other  competent  officers,  in  effect,  driven  from 
the  command.  But  an  executive  and  his  secretaries,  who  have 
shown  themselves  thus  incompetent  or  unwilling  properly  to  fit  out 
a  scientific  and  maritime  enterprise,  the  Tippecanoes  have  dismiss- 
ed from  power ;  and  it  is  for  this  service  I  present  to  you  this  slight 
testimonial  of  my  esteem  and  gratitude. 

Taking,  however,  as  I  can  at  present,  a  calm  review  of  the  past, 
it  is  in  no  partisan  spirit  I  make  this  dedication.  The  expedition 
itself  was  no  party  measure ;  liberal-minded  men  of  all  parties 


DEDICATION. 


supported  it ;  the  intelligence  and  science  of  the  country  sustained 
it  j  as  good  men  of  all  parties  have  aided  in  swelling  the  recent 
triumph  of  liberty  over  despotism ;  of  right  and  justice  over  wrong 
and  oppression ;  not  of  citizen  over  citizen,  but  of  the  people  over 
their  rulers,  who  had  forgotten  the  people,  the  source  of  power. 
Fellow-citizens, 

*)The  irresistible  energies  of  a  free  people  can  only  be  called  forth 
and  directed,  on  great  occasions,  through  popular  associations 
among  themselves,  which  should  arise  with  the  emergency,  perform 
their  mission,  and  then  sink  into  an  unsleeping  repose.  It  has  been 
•o  in  this  instance.  The  great  beginning  was  at  Columbus, 
Ohio;  then  followed  the  national  convention  at  Baltimore,  the 
Fort  Meigs  celebration,  the  gatherings  on  the  old  battle-grounds 
of  Tippecanoe,  Bennington,  and  Bunker's  Hill ;  our  state  conven- 
tions at  Syracuse  and  Auburn;  the  great  assemblies  at  Macon, 
Georgia,  and  Nashville,  Tennessee ;  at  Yorktown  and  Richmond, 
Virginia ;  at  the  celebrations  of  the  battles  of  the  Maumee  and  the 
Thames  in  our  own  city ;  besides,  almost  every  county  and  town 
in  the  Union  has  had  its  gathering  of  the  people,  freely,  fearlessly 
to  discuss  and  pass  upon  the  mighty  issue  before  them ;  and  full 
of  moral  grandeur,  yea,  of  deathless  sublimity,  has  been  their  de- 
cision, unattended  by  the  clash  of  arms,  unstained  with  blood,  un- 
heralded by  the  stormy  voice  of  war. 
Fellow-citizens, 

That  you  have  borne  an  honourable  part  amid  the  heat  and  dust 
of  this  great  contest  is  conceded  by  your  brethren  in  every  part 
of  the  Union.  It  is  proper  and  becoming,  therefore,  that  you 
should  rejoice ;  but,  let  it  be  with  moderation,  and  in  the  spirit  of 
kindness  and  forbearance  towards  your  opponents.  Power,  in  the 
hands  of  the  majority,  should  always  regard  the  rights  of  the  mi- 
nority. 

That  the  fruits  of  your  efforts  may  be  gradually  but  permanent- 
ly to  restore  confidence  between  man  and  man;  breathe  a  new 
and  healthy  spirit  into  commerce ;  give  employment  and  adequate 
reward  to  honest  industry ;  securing  and  dispensing  alike  to  all 
freedom  of  thought,  freedom  of  action,  freedom  in  the  prosecution 
of  their  business  under  a  moderate,  wise,  and  paternal  action  of  the 
general  government,  is  the  sincere  wish  of  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  N.  R. 

New- York,  March  4,  1841. . 


INTRODUCTION. 


I  DO  not  subscribe  to  the  common  opinion  that  "  no  one  reads  an 
introduction."  At  any  rate,  I  am  satisfied  that  no  one  reads  a 
book  with  the  same  advantage  who  does  not  begin  with  the  in- 
troduction. From  this  source  the  reader  may  usually  gather  an 
idea  of  the  author's  general  plan,  and  the  motives  which  induced 
him  to  submit  his  production  to  the  world :  points  of  no  little  im- 
portance to  the  right  understanding  and  proper  appreciation  of  his 
work. 

There  is  no  pride  of  authorship  to  be  gratified  in  the  publication 
of  this  volume.  For  the  years  I  have  devoted  to  a  cause  of  mag- 
nitude and  public  utility,  at  home  as  well  as  in  scenes  of  wild  ad- 
venture abroad,  I  have  never  sought,  nor  is  it  possible  I  could  re- 
ceive, a  higher  reward  than  that  of  having  my  labours  fairly  judg- 
ed by  my  countrymen.  The  tardy  action  of  two  secretaries — the 
one  imbecile,  and  both  vindictive — in  fitting  out  an  expedition  au- 
thorized by  repeated  acts  of  Congress,  went  far  to  weary  and  dis- 
gust the  public  mind ;  but  the  folly  and  malice  of  those  intrusted 
with  its  organization  detract  nothing  from  the  importance  of  the 
enterprise  itself.  To  promote  the  cause  of  human  knowledge  is 
the  duty  of  civilized  man ;  all  are  bound  to  contribute  to  its  ad- 
vancement, while  none  can  claim  an  exclusive  monopoly  of  the 
treasures  unfolded  in  its  progress.  When  the  intelligence  of  the 
munificent  action  of  Congress  reached  England,  the  Geographical 
Society  of  London  was  in  session,  and,  on  the  circumstance  being 
announced  from  the  chair,  it  was  received  with  the  most  enthu- 
siastic applause.  Stimulated  by  the  noble  liberality  of  our  nation- 
al Legislature,  the  governments  of  England  and  France — using,  in 
part,  the  very  information  contained  in  this  volume — have  fitted  out 
similar  expeditions.  The  Lion,  the  Lily,  and  the  Stripes  and 
Stars  have  floated  on  the  same  breeze,  under  the  same  constella- 
tions ;  the  ships  bearing  the  two  latter  ensigns  having  made  the 
Southern  Continent  on  the  same  day. 

On  the  3d  of  April,  1836, 1  delivered,  in  the  Hall  of  Represent- 


INTRODUCTION. 


atives,  before  the  members  of  that  house,  the  discourse  which 
forms  the  first  part  of  this  volume.  In  that  speech  I  attempted  a 
rapid  and  comprehensive  review  of  our  maritime  enterprise  and 
its  results  in  the  South  Seas,  Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans  ;  a  glance 
at  the  vast  field  that  still  lies  open  before  us ;  at  the  great  com- 
mercial and  scientific  interests  involved ;  the  means  by  which 
those  interests  might  be  extended  and  secured  by  the  expedition 
now  out,  and  by  others  which  the  good  policy  of  the  government 
will  yet  cause  to  be  fitted  out.  I  am  aware  that  more  might  have 
been  said  upon  the  subject,  and  the  whole  better  said  ;  and  I  doubt 
not  the  reader  will  add  new  arguments  to  mine  in  favour  of  the 
great  national  enterprise  which  in  that  discourse  I  endeavoured 
to  shadow  forth. 

The  learned  societies  of  the  country  embarked,  as  was  naturally 
to  be  expected,  zealously  in  the  cause ;  not  only  by  casting  the 
weight  of  their  associated  influence  in  its  favour,  but  by  volun- 
teering their  individual  time  and  attention  to  every  part  of  its  or- 
ganization, where  their  labours  or  advice  could  contribute  to  ren- 
der the  preparations  for  scientific  inquiry  thorough  and  complete. 
They  saw  in  it  the  prospect  of  rich  returns,  which  must  necessarily 
give  a  new  impulse  to  the  cause  of  science  in  this  country,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  do  much  to  rescue  us  from  the  imputation  cast  upon 
our  national  character,  that  we  were  pensioners  upon  the  bounty 
of  other  nations  in  regard  to  maritime  and  scientific  knowledge, 
and  had  never  put  forth  a  particle  of  our  strength  or  expended  a 
dollar  of  our  money  in  contributing  to  the  common  stock. 

The  letters  from  these  distinguished  individuals  follow  next  in  or- 
der to  the  addresses  before  Congress,  and  will  be  found  to  have  a  di- 
rect and  luminous  bearing  upon  the  great  objects  of  the  expedition. 
In  some  of  them  my  friends  have  used  language  in  reference  to 
my  humble  labours  which  it  might  be  thought  vain  in  me  to  pub- 
lish ;  but  I  have  no  right  to  garble  their  letters,  and  therefore  give 
them  entire.  I  can,  however,  assure  my  readers  that  a  ten  years' 
campaign  in  this  great  field  of  enterprise,  with  the  vicissitudes  of 
hope  and  fear  with  which  it  has  been  checkered,  has  taken  away 
much  of  that  susceptibility  of  feeling  which  is  affected  by  praise 
or  blame. 

The  next  portion  of  the  work,  comprising  nearly  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pages,  under  the  various  heads  of  Memorials,  Resolutions, 


INTRODUCTION. 

Reports,  Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans,  Samuel  L.  Southard,  Commit- 
tees on  Commerce  and  Naval  Affairs,  Final  Passage  of  the  Bill, 
Speech  of  Mr.  Harmer,  of  Ohio,  &c.,  &c.,  will  be  found  to  exhib- 
it in  the  most  honourable  light,  not  only  the  liberal  and  persevering 
action  of  Congress,  but  the  unanimity  and  enthusiasm  with  which 
the  intelligence  of  the  country  sustained  the  action  of  that  body. 

The  controversy  between  the  late  secretary  of  the  navy  and 
myself  succeeds,  and  may  require  a  few  words  in  the  way  of  in- 
troduction. The  law  authorizing  the  expedition  received  the  sanc- 
tion of  Congress  May  14,  1836.  The  action  of  the  executive 
was  prompt,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  official  and  semi- 
official announcement. 

"  Washington,  June  9th,  1836. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR, 

"  About  to  leave  the  city  for  a  short  time,  and  feeling  a  lively 
interest  in  the  Exploring  Expedition  directed  by  Congress,  and 
more  particularly  from  the  great  solicitude  expressed  by  all  the 
members  of  Congress  that  it  should  be  sent  out  as  early  as  possi- 
ble, and  more  particularly  as  the  executive  is  anxious  that  nothing 
should  be  wanting  on  our  part  to  secure  it  success,  and,  if  unsuc- 
cessful, that  no  blame  should  rest  upon  us,  it  is  my  desire  that  am- 
ple means,  as  authorized  by  Congress,  be  furnished,  and  prompt 
measures  taken  to  prepare  and  complete  the  outfit.  To  effect 
these  objects,  let  Captain  Jones  be  informed  that,  while  he  will  be 
responsible  for  the  due  execution  of  the  project  of  the  enterprise, 
the  proportion  of  the  means,  the  selection  of  the  officers  and 
agents,  &c.,  and  a  general  superintendence  of  the  outfit  under  the 
secretary  of  the  navy  will  be  with  him.  That  these  views  may  be 
carried  into  full  effect,  I  desire  that  the  secretary  of  the  navy  order 
Captain  Jones  to  repair  to  Norfolk  and  New- York  stations,  there 
to  confer  freely  with  the  commanding  officers  of  those  stations 
touching  the  arrangements  and  equipments  of  the  ships  and  other 
vessels  which  are  to  compose  the  expedition ;  and  that  Captain 
Jones  may  be  instructed  to  enter  at  once  into  this  business ;  and 
that  Captain  Jones,  with  such  other  officers  as  are  or  may  be  se- 
lected for  this  expedition,  as  may  be  necessary,  be  ordered  to  open 
rendezvous  for  recruiting  their  respective  crews.  That  harmony 
may  exist,  I  would  suggest  the  propriety  that  no  officer  should  be 


INTRODUCTION 

selected  to  whom  Captain  Jones  should  have  well-founded  objec- 
tions. With  these  arrangements,  should  the  expedition  fail,  the 
responsibility  will  rest  with  Captain  Jones,  and  not  with  the  De- 
partment. 

"  I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

"ANDREW  JACKSON. 

"  To  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy." 

[From  the  Washington  Globe  of  July  13,  1836.] 

"Surveying  and  Exploring  Expedition  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and 

South  Seas. 

"  We  learn  that  the  President  has  given  orders  to  have  the  ex- 
ploring vessels  fitted  out  with  the  least  possible  delay.  The  appro- 
priation made  by  Congress  was  ample  to  ensure  all  the  great  objects 
contemplated  by  the  expedition,  and  the  executive  is  determined 
that  nothing  shall  be  wanting  to  render  the  expedition,  in  every 
respect,  worthy  the  character  and  great  commercial  resources  of 
the  country. 

"  The  frigate  Macedonian,  now  undergoing  thorough  repairs  at 
Norfolk,  two  brigs  of  two  hundred  tons  each,  one  or  more  tenders, 
and  a  store-ship  of  competent  dimensions,  are,  we  understand,  the 
force  agreed  upon,  and  to  be  put  in  a  state  of  immediate  prep- 
aration. 

"  Captain  Thomas  Ap  C.  Jones,  an  officer  possessing  many  high 
qualities  for  such  a  service,  has  been  appointed  to  the  command ; 
and  officers  for  the  other  vessels  will  be  immediately  selected. 

"  The  Macedonian  has  been  chosen  instead  of  a  sloop-of-war, 
on  account  of  the  increased  accommodations  she  will  afford  the 
scientific  corps,  a  department  the  President  has  determined  shall 
be  complete  in  its  organization,  including  the  ablest  men  that  can 
be  procured;  so  that  nothing  within  the  whole  range  of  every 
department  of  natural  history  and  philosophy  shall  be  omitted. 
Not  only  on  this  account  has  the  frigate  been  selected,  but  also  for 
the  purpose  of  a  more  extended  protection  of  our  whalemen  and 
traders ;  and  to  impress  on  the  minds  of  the  natives  a  just  concep- 
tion of  our  character,  power,  and  policy.  The  frequent  disturb- 
ances and  massacres  committed  on  our  seamen  by  the  natives 
inhabiting  the  islands  in  those  distant  seas,  make  this  measure  the 
dictate  of  humanity." 


INTRODUCTION. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  plan  of  the  expedition  had  been 
adopted,  and  the  force  to  be  employed  agreed  upon.  The  duty  of 
the  secretary  of  the  navy  was  a  plain  one — simply  to  execute  the 
law.  October  came,  and  although  many  orders  had  been  given, 
and  some  bustle  in  the  way  of  preparation  manifested  by  the  de- 
partment, the  expedition  was  not  half  ready  for  sea.  The  session 
of  Congress  followed,  and  the  time  of  the  secretary,  which  should 
have  been  directed  to  the  fitting  out  of  the  squadron,  was  employ- 
ed in  making  official  reports,  and  in  personal  efforts  to  mislead 
Congress,  and  induce  that  body  to  withhold  appropriations  for  the 
Macedonian,  if  not  for  the  enterprise  entirely.  In  this  design  the 
secretary  was  defeated.  The  plan  and  force  agreed  to  by  the 
President  met  the  views  of  Congress,  and  the  expense  of  fitting 
out  the  Macedonian  was  included  in  the  appropriations  for  the  en- 
suing year.  Preparations  were  now  renewed,  and  were  kept  hob- 
bling along,  with  fair  professions,  but  without  sincerity  of  effort. 
The  feeble  health  of  President  Jackson  towards  the  close  of  his 
term  greatly  retarded  the  progress  of  the  arrangements.  He  fre- 
quently, however,  interfered,  and  caused  the  secretary,  though  un- 
willingly, to  hasten  his  movements.  The  country  owes  President 
Jackson  much  for  the  lively  interest  he  took  in  the  expedition  up 
to  the  last  moment  of  his  official  term.  That  the  new  president, 
Martin  Van  Buren,  infused  no  new  energy  into  the  reluctant  secre- 
tary, may  be  inferred  from  the  fact,  that  thirteen  months  after  the 
measure  was  authorized,  and  three  months,  less  one  day,  after  Mr. 
Van  Buren  had  assumed  the  duties  of  his  high  station  by  swearing 
faithfully  to  execute  the  laws,  we  find  a  plan  concocted  to  form  a 
commission  of  officers,  not  only  to  decide  upon  the  qualities  of  the 
vessels,  but  to  inquire  and  report  how  far  the  will  of  Congress 
could  be  contravened,  and  the  operation  of  its  acts  suspended,  by 
a  withdrawal  of  part  of  the  force  decided  upon.  To  effect  this 
object,  the  secretary  addressed  a  formal  note  to  President  Van  Bu- 
ren, under  date  "  June  5th,  1837,"  in  which  he  says, "  I  deem  it  my 
duty  to  lay  before  you  a  statement  of  the  condition  of  the  South 
Sea  Surveying  and  Exploring  Expedition,  and  its  effects  in  afford- 
ing adequate  and  prompt  protection  to  our  commerce." 

Commodore  Jones  had  made  an  experimental  cruise  with  the 
squadron,  and  had  reported,  as  the  secretary  admits,  his  entire 
confidence  in  the  fitness  of  the  vessels,  suggesting  only  some  slight 


INTRODUCTION 

alterations.  Yet,  in  the  face  of  this  testimony,  the  secretary  says, 
"  Although  Commodore  Jones  has  great  confidence  in  the  efficien- 
cy of  the  vessels,  yet  many  other  officers  of  the  navy  have  not ;  on  the 
contrary,  I  believe  there  is  a  general  want  of  confidence  in  them,  as 
well  as  in  the  success  of  the  expedition,  under  its  present  organiza- 
tion." Then  follows  a  lugubrious  wail  about  the  incapacity  of  the 
department  to  afford  protection  to  our  commerce  in  other  parts  of  the 
world,  and  to  fit  out  the  expedition  at  the  same  time  ;  "  more  es- 
pecially," says  the  secretary,  "  if  we  are  to  add  another  vessel  (a 
small  schooner)  to  the  exploring  squadron ;"  and  yet,  let  it  be 
borne  in  mind,  he  was  at  this  very  period  preparing  to  show  his 
teeth  to  the  French  minister  of  marine.  "  It  therefore,"  continues  the 
secretary, "  becomes  a  matter  of  great  importance  and  responsibility  to 
inquire  if  the  force  intended  for  this  expedition  cannot  be  reduced  in 
its  armament  of  ships  and  men"  He  accordingly  begs  the  presi- 
dent to  authorize  the  department  to  cause  these  inquiries  to  be 
made  by  experienced  officers  of  the  navy,  and  to  report  the  result 
for  the  president's  decision.  This  extraordinary  communication, 
extraordinary  both  as  to  its  time  and  nature,  was  returned  with  the 
following  no  less  extraordinary  endorsement  upon  it 

Washington,  June  5th,  1837. 

"  The  Secretary  will  cause  the  inquiries  recommended  by  him  to 
be  made  by  referring  the  subject  to  a  Board  of  Officers,  to  be  com- 
posed of  Commodores  Chauncey,  Morris,  Warrington,  Patterson, 
and  Wadsworth,  to  examine  and  report  on  the  same. 

"  M.  Van  Buren." 

To  the  board  thus  constituted,  the  secretary,  upon  the  pretended 
authority  of  officers  of  the  navy,  whose  names  have  never  yet  been 
given  to  the  public,  gave  his  Jesuitical  instructions,  June  8th, 
1837.  I  was  in  Norfolk  at  the  time,  but  repaired  to  Washington 
immediately  on  hearing  of  these  movements,  and,  in  an  interview 
with  the  secretary,  entered  my  protest  against  the  course  he  was 
pursuing.  To  President  Van  Buren,  whom  I  also  saw,  I  spoke 
plainly  of  his  secretary,  and  pointed  out  the  insidious  character  of 
his  instructions  to  the  board.  The  course  marked  out  for  me 
thenceforward  was  devoid  of  all  perplexity.  For  more  than  two 
years  I  had  witnessed  the  treacherous  conduct  of  the  secretary,  and 


INTRODUCTION. 

had  borne  in  silence  his  unprovoked  hostility  to  myself.  I  had  seen, 
with  deep  mortification,  impediments  wilfully  thrown  in  the  way  of 
Commodore  Jones,  the  particulars  of  which,  in  justice  to  that  offi- 
cer, I  hope  will  one  day  see  the  light.  I  at  once  resolved  to  ar- 
raign the  secretary  at  the  bar  of  public  opinion,  regardless  of  all 
consequences  to  myself.  Of  this  determination  I  informed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  cabinet  on  the  eve  of  my  departure  for  this  city.  If  I 
have  been  severe  upon  the  secretary  in  my  letters,  it  will  be  seen 
that,  in  his  defence,  he  waived  the  dignity  of  high  station  for  the 
luxury  of  being  scurrilous  towards  me.  I  have  given  him  the  ben- 
efit of  that  defence,  by  inserting  his  letters  entire.  With  these  re- 
marks I  refer  the  reader  to  the  correspondence  between  "  Citizen" 
and  "A  Friend  to  the  Navy." 

Of  the  remaining  letters,  addressed  to  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  I  have 
only  a  word  or  two  to  say ;  indeed,  they  explain  themselves. 
When  the  support  of  President  Van  Buren  could  no  longer  sustain 
Secretary  Dickerson  against  the  current  of  public  opinion  and  the 
almost  universal  censure  of  the  press,  without  reference  to  party, 
Secretary  Poinsett  came  in  to  perform  his  part ;  and  I  cheerfully 
leave  the  public  to  judge  of  the  manner  in  which  he  performed 
his  duty,  and  of  the  meed  of  praise  to  which  he  is  entitled. 

I  have  carefully  noted  all  that  has  been  made  public  of  the 
movements  of  the  expedition  since  its  departure.  Several  of  its 
best  officers  have  returned,  disgusted  with  the  weakness,  vanity, 
and  overbearing  deportment  of  its  commander.  We  are  told 
that  a  Southern  Continent  has  been  discovered.  Sincerely  did  I 
rejoice  at  this  intelligence  ;  but  mortification  was  mingled  with  my 
pleasure  when  I  learned  that  our  flag  had  coasted  sixteen  hundred 
miles  of  coast  without  a  landing  having  been  effected,  and  that, 
instead  of  planting  the  Stripes  and  Stars  high  on  the  mountain  top 
— which  any  Stonington  sealer  could  have  done — the  commander 
contented  himself  with  detaching  a  few  particles  of  rock  from  the 
floating  ice  around  him. 

The  scientific  corps,  though  labouring  under  many  disadvantages, 
will  return  laden  with  rich  treasures  in  science ;  and,  on  the  whole, 
I  think  it  may  be  fairly  anticipated  that  the  expedition  will  effect 
enough  to  show  what  might  have  been  accomplished  had  it  been 
permitted  to  depart  unmutilated,  and  under  more  experienced  and 
able  supervision. 


ADDRESS, 


ON 

- 


THE  SUBJECT 


SURVEYING  AND  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION 


PACIFIC    OCEAN   AND    SOUTH    SEAS 


IN  THE   HALL    OF    REPRESENTATIVES    ON  THE   EVENING    OF   APRIL   3,  183ft. 


"  The  assembly  to  which  I  address  myself,  is  too  enlightened  not  to  be  fully  sensible, 
how  much  a  flourishing  state  of  the  arts  and  sciences  contributes  to  national  prosperity 
and  reputation." — Washington's  Message  to  Congress,  Dec.  7*A,  1796. 


"House  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  Jlprtt  2rf,  1836. 

"Mr.  Pearce,  of  Rhode  Island,  from  the  Committee  on  Commerce,  reported  the  fol- 
lowing resolution : — 

"Resolved,  That  the  use  of  this  Hall  be  granted  to  J.  N.  Reynolds,  Esq.,  on  Satur- 
day evening  next,  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  an  address,  on  the  subject  of  an  Expe- 
dition, or  Voyage  of  Discovery,  to  the  South  Sea  and  Pacific  Ocean. 

"  The  Resolution  was  agreed  to." 


ADDRESS. 





BELIEVING  that  it  is  the  sacred  duty  of  every  member  of  society 
to  contribute,  according  to  his  possessions,  to  the  general  treasury 
of  knowledge,  I  have  come,  on  this  occasion,  to  cast  in  my  mite ; 
happy  that  I  have  something  to  offer,  and  humble  that  the  offering 
is  of  no  greater  value. 

At  an  early  period  of  my  life  I  imbibed  a  relish,  perhaps  acci- 
dentally, for  books  of  voyages  and  travels,  when  I  had  not  as  yet 
seen  the  ocean.  Though  a  dweller  in  the  western  forests,  I  could 
reason  from  effects  to  causes,  and  needed  only  the  roughly 
sketched  history  of  the  early  settlement  of  our  country  to  convince 
me,  that  the  maritime  enterprise  of  our  ancestors  was  an  important 
element  in  the  foundation  of  our  subsequent  power;  and  that 
whatever  tended  to  increase  the  stimulus  to  exertion,  and  extend 
the  field  of  commercial  research,  was  to  add  more  to  our  national 
resources,  than  to  discover  mines  of  diamonds,  or  heap  our  trea- 
suries with  coined  gold.  The  analogy  of  the  sister  branches, 
agriculture  and  manufactures  have  come  to  our  aid ;  and  if  when 
fields  are  run  out,  the  farmer  is  obliged  to  till  new  ones ;  and  if 
when  markets  fail,  the  ingenuity  of  the  manufacturer  is  tasked  to 
find  others,  surely  he  who  can  indicate  to  our  rapidly  increasing 
marine  a  new  and  untried  sea,  or  an  undiscovered  island,  where 
enterprise  may  be  enriched,  and  the  country  acquire  a  footing, 
deserves  well  of  his  fellow-men. 


6  ADDRESS. 

Discovery,  therefore,  though  the  term  be  disguised  by  the  mode 
of  applying  it,  has  added  much  to  the  success  of  every  great 
interest  in  every  country,  and  it  is  in  this  connection  that  we 
propose  to  show : 

First,  by  a  general  outline,  what  our  forefathers  have  done, — 
with  the  spirit  they  evinced ; 

Secondly,  what  our  neighbours  have  accomplished ;  and, 

Lastly,  what  remains  for  us  to  do,  and  the  reasons  why  we 
should  do  it.  \  ve  " 

,  At  the  commencement  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the  settle- 
ments of  American  colonists  were  but  so  many  watchfires  along 
the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  whose  light  reflected  upon  the  waters 
by  the  surrounding  forests,  invited  the  seafarer  and  emigrant, 
whether  allured  to  our  shores  by  the  love  of  enterprise,  or  driven 
to  seek  refuge  in  a  new  world  from  the  political  convulsions  of 
the  old.  In  an  incredibly  short  time  they  became  acquainted,  not 
only  with  the  general  outline  of  the  coast,  but  also  with  our  har 
bours,  bays,  and  rivers,  even  to  the  nicest  indentations,  and  with  a 
hardihood  and  sagacious  foresight  which  has  no  parallel  in  history, 
fitted  out  exploring  expeditions  to  obtain  a  more  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  our  shores,  when  the  Indian  was  prowling  around  their 
dwellings,  and  the  population  was  scarcely  sufficiently  numerous 
to  raise  the  necessaries  of  life.  John  Smith  of  Virginia,  in  1614, 
six  years  before  the  pilgrims  raised  their  huts  on  the  sands  of 
Plymouth,  coasted  along  the  shore  from  James  River  to  Ports- 
mouth, and  surveyed  the  harbours  and  islands  of  New  England. 
The  pilgrims,  too,  though  thinned  by  an  epidemic  to  nearly  half 
their  number,  hardly  waited  for  a  summer's  sun,  before  they  com- 
menced ship-building,  with  the  intent  of  exploring  the  southern 
coast,  and  trafficking  with  the  natives. 

In  less  than  half  a  century,  the  amount  of  American  tonnage 
was  considerably  increased,  and  had  begun  to  excite,  in  a  slight 
degree,  the  jealousy  of  the  mother  country,  which  was  afterwards 


ADDRESS.  7 

so  strongly  manifested  by  her  coercive  acts.  A  reference  to  the 
records  of  the  times  will  show,  that  in  1665,  when  the  militia  of 
Massachusetts  did  not  exceed  four  thousand  in  number,  she  pos- 
sessed eighty  vessels  of  between  twenty  and  forty  tons  burthen ; 
about  forty  of  between  forty  and  one  hundred  tons ;  and  twelve 
ships  of  one  hundred  tons  and  upward.  New- York,  likewise, 
having  about  this  time  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  English,  was 
aroused  from  her  apathetic  slumber,  and  like  an  awakened  giant, 
conscious  of  inbred  might,  began  to  stretch  her  arms  along  the 
adjoining  coasts  and  over  the  ocean,  gathering  up  the  richest  pro- 
ducts of  the  old  and  new  world,  and  giving  in  return  the  first  fruits 
of  the  almost  untouched  mines  of  our  internal  resources. 

Those  also  whose  inclination  led  them  to  become  the  pioneers 
of  the  wilderness,  carried  with  them  the  same  disposition,  and 
next  to  the  log  hut,  before  making  a  wheelbarrow  or  a  cart,  they 
hollowed  out  a  log  to  cross  the  nearest  expanse  of  water,  and  com- 
mune with  the  settlers  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream.  But 
perhaps  the  ardour  with  which  the  colonists  pursued  the  fisheries 
is  the  most  striking  feature  in  our  maritime  history,  since  it  wrung 
reluctant  praise  from  our  enemies,  and  called  forth  the  eulogiums 
of  the  most  distinguished  orators  and  statesmen.* 


*  On  this  subject,  we  cannot  deny  ourselves  the  pleasure  of  extracting  a  glowing 
fragment  of  eloquence  from  the  gifted  Burke,  in  his  celebrated  speech,  delivered  in 
Parliament,  on  American  conciliation : 

"  As  to  the  wealth  which  the  Colonies  have  drawn  from  the  sea  by  their  fisheries, 
you  had  all  that  matter  fully  opened  at  your  bar.  You  surely  thought  those  acquisi- 
tions of  value,  for  they  seemed  even  to  excite  your  envy ;  and  yet  the  spirit,  by  which 
that  enterprising  employment  has  been  exercised,  ought  rather,  in  my  opinion,  to  have 
raised  your  esteem  and  admiration.  And  pray,  sir,  what  in  the  world  is  equal  to  it? 
Pass  by  the  other  parts,  and  look  at  the  manner  in  which  the  people  of  New  England 
have  of  late  carried  on  the  whale  fisheries,  whilst  we  follow  them  among  the  tumbling 
mountains  of  ice,  and  behold  them  penetrating  into  the  deepest  frozen  recesses  of 
Hudson's  Bay,  and  Davis's  Straits ;  whilst  we  are  looking  for  them  beneath  the 
Arctic  circle,  we  hear  that  they  have  pierced  into  the  opposite  region  of  polar  cold ; 
that  they  are  at  the  antipodes,  and  engaged  under  the  frozen  Serpent  of  the  South. 
Falkland  Island,  which  seemed  too  remote  and  romantic  an  object  for  the  grasp  of 


g  ADDRESS. 

These  facts  must  show  conclusively,  that  the  elements  of  mari- 
time enterprise  have  been  from  the  earliest  period  of  our  history 
incorporated  with  the  character  of  our  people. 

From  this  lucrative  employment  foreign  commerce  grew  and 
flourished,  and  through  this  and  the  lumber  and  fur  trade,  was 
derived  the  circulating  medium  of  the  country ;  but  still  much  of 
the  trade  of  the  interior  was  subject  to  many  inconveniences  from 
the  difficulties  of  transportation.  The  increasing  power  of  Eng- 
land, as  manifested  by  the  prosperity  of  her  American  colonies, 
was  viewed  by  France  with  undisguised  alarm,  and  was  the  prin 
cipal  cause  of  the  first  and  second  French  wars,  in  which  the  main 
struggle  was  upon  American  ground.  This  put  into  requisition 
all  the  energies  of  the  colonists,  who,  at  their  own  expense,  fitted 
out  numerous  privateers,  which  were  the  source  of  no  less  annoy- 
ance to  the  enemy  than  of  wealth  to  their  owners,  and  which 
contributed  the  most  timely  and  efficient  assistance  to  the  mother 
country. 

It  was  in  this  school  of  hardship,  at  an  early  period,  that  we 
acquired  that  naval  science,  and  familiarity  with  the  ocean,  which 
soon  after  enabled  us  to  compete  with  that  power  whose  peculiar 
boast  is  that  she  rules  the  waves,  and  whose  sons  glory  that  their 
"  march  is  on  the  mountain  wave,  their  home  is  on  the  deep."  It 
was  by  passing  this  trying  ordeal,  and  braving  the  winter's  cold 


national  ambition,  is  but  a  stage  and  resting  place  in  the  progress  of  their  victorious 
industry. 

"Nor  is  the  equinoctial  heat  more  discouraging  to  them,  than  the  accumulated 
winter  of  both  the  Poles.  We  know  that  whilst  some  of  them  draw  the  line,  and 
strike  the  harpoon  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  others  run  the  longitude,  and  pursue  their 
gigantic  game  along  the  coast  of  Brazil.  No  sea  but  what  is  vexed  by  their  fisheries. 
No  climate  that  is  not  witness  to  their  toils.  Neither  the  perseverance  of  Holland, 
nor  the  activity  of  France,  nor  the  dexterous  and  firm  sagacity  of  English  enterprise, 
ever  carried  this  most  perilous  mode  of  hard  industry  to  the  extent  to  which  it  has 
been  pushed  by  this  recent  people;  a  people  who  are  still,  as  it  were,  but  in  the 
gristle,  and  not  yet  hardened  into  the  bone  of  manhood." 


ADDRESS.  9 

and  summer's  heat  in  the  probationary  war  with  France,  that  we 
were  trained  by  the  wise  hand  of  a  superintending  Providence  for 
the  war  of  Independence.  Then  it  was,  that  from  a  state  of  utter 
debasement,  we  raised  ourselves  to  the  rank  of  a  maratime  nation, 
and  with  vessels  equipped,  for  the  most  part  by  individual  enter- 
prise, made  ourselves  more  formidable  to  English  commerce  than 
France  with  all  her  naval  force  had  ever  been.  From  the  vessels 
captured,  near  two  thousand  in  number,  from  the  enemy,  our  army 
was  supplied  with  clothing  and  ammunition  at  two  of  the  most 
critical  periods  of  the  revolution ;  and  Washington  himself  ex- 
pressly says,  that  the  army  would  have  inevitably  been  forced  to 
retreat,  and  perhaps  disband  itself  when  besieging  Boston,  had  not 
two  English  ships,  laden  with  military  stores,  been  captured  by 
Captain  Manly  in  Boston  harbour.  This  occurred  when  there 
remained  but  two  barrels  of  gunpowder  for  twenty  thousand  men. 
Many  other  instances  might  be  adduced  to  show  how  invaluable 
was  the  aid  afforded  by  our  infant  marine  at  that  eventful  crisis  in 
our  past  history. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  commerce  began  anew  upon  a  more 
enlarged  scale,  and  higher  enterprise ;  but  there  were  numerous 
obstacles  in  the  way,  until  after  the  adoption  of  the  federal  consti- 
tution. Prior  to  that  period,  a  committee  of  marine  had  managed 
all  our  maritime  affairs,  and  their  energies  were  often  wasted  in 
considering  first  principles,  now  so  well  established.  In  1794,  the 
first  proposition  for  forming  a  navy  was  made  in  congress  under 
the  constitution.  In  1798,  all  our  naval  force  was  called  into 
requisition,  and  covered  itself  with  glory ;  and  subsequently 
secured  the  admiration  of  the  world,  in  humbling  the  fierce  cor- 
sairs of  the  Mediterranean.  Thus  our  commerce  had  been  in 
some  measure  protected,  and  our  national  honour  defended,  before 
the  war  of  1812. 

While  trammelled  in  the  fetters  of  colonial  dependance,  the 
colonists  had  shown  themselves  eager  to  perform  everything 


10  ADDRESS. 

within  the  compass  of  their  abilities,  to  aid  commercial  enter- 
prise j  and  not  satisfied  with  the  mere  examination  of  dangerous 
shoals  and  sand-banks,  had  made  scientific  observations  to  enable 
the  sailor  to  ascertain  his  coarse  with  greater  precision  and  safety. 
Twice  did  they  send  scientific  men  to  distant  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, to  observe  the  transit  of  Venus  over  the  sun  ;  and  they 
accomplished  their  task  with  astonishing  accuracy,  considering 
how  imperfect  the  instruments  they  used  were,  when  compared 
with  those  of  the  present  day.  Since  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, however,  till  the  period  of  the  last  war,  it  is  not  known 
that  government  expended  anything  (if  we  except  a  small  appro- 
priation for  the  expedition  to  the  Rocky  mountains)  in  behalf  of 
scientific  or  exploring  expeditions. 

Can  any  reason  be  assigned  for  this  neglect  ?  Perhaps  it  may 
be  found  in  the  peculiar  state  of  our  great  interests  at  that  exciting 
period.  The  agriculturist,  viewing  the  constantly  accumulating 
profits  of  the  merchant,  thought  it  useless  to  support  any  measure 
which  might  throw  yet  more  wealth  into  his  scale.  The  mer- 
chant, on  his  side,  engrossed  in  the  pursuit  of  wealth,  could  not 
stop  to  calculate  dangers  between  him  and  his  contemplated 
result ;  or,  if  he  had,  could  he  wait  for  their  removal  ? 

At  this  time  there  was  but  little  competition  among  mer- 
chants;— each  had  enough  to  do.  Soon  after  the  French  Revo- 
lution broke  out,  and  the  European  nations  were  in  arms,  we  had 
the  carrying  trade  to  ourselves,  and  accumulated  wealth  beyond 
the  profits  of  any  people  in  modern  times. 

But  the  golden  harvest  did  not  last  long.  In  1806,  the  exac- 
tions of  the  belligerent  powers  grew  more  oppressive,  and  our 
commerce  met  with  many  severe  checks  and  embarrassments. 
The  embargo  of  1807  followed  the  Berlin  and  Milan  decrees, 
together  with  the  British  orders  in  council,  and  non-intercourse 
and  war  ensued  soon  after.  Our  navy  had  not  been  increased  in 
any  degree  commensurate  with  the  extent  of  our  commerce ;  and 


ADDRESS.  11 

accordingly,  though  it  covered  itself  with  glory  at  that  trying 
period,  it  proved  inadequate  to  the  protection  of  our  ships  on  the 
high  seas,  and  we  emerged  from  the  contest  with  a  commercial 
marine  crippled  and  diminished  to  an  alarming  extent. 

But  no  sooner  had  peace  been  proclaimed,  than  our  commerce 
again  flourished,  and  chartered  every  gale.  The  South  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  oceans,  where  our  enterprise  had  been  checked,  be- 
came our  highways,  and  every  estuary  and  river  was  again  the 
resort  of  our  hardy  navigators.  It  is  only  with  this  new  Satur- 
nian  reign  that  my  dawn  of  recollection  commences,  and  then 
only  after  some  years  of  this  prosperous  epoch  had  elapsed.  Not 
only  had  new  channels  of  trade  been  opened  by  the  persevering 
industry  of  our  merchants,  until  the  extreme  east  had  been  laid 
under  contribution,  but  our  fisheries  had  again  extended  from  our 
coasts  to  the  shores  of  Brazil,  thence  running  the  longitude  to 
Africa,  and  around  each  cape  throughout  the  great  Pacific  and 
Indian  oceans,  to  the  Maldives  and  the  Isles  of  Japan.  New 
staple  productions  of  agriculture  had  likewise  sprung  up  in  the 
interval ;  and  cotton,  which  had  been  introduced  into  this  country 
several  years  subsequent  to  the  Revolutionary  War,  as  a  mere 
botanical  experiment,  now  became  the  most  important  article  of 
commerce,  throwing  into  a  secondary  rank  bread-stuffs,  tobacco, 
rice,  and  other  articles  formerly  first  in  the  commercial  scale. 
The  milder  climes  of  the  south  had  used  cotton  stuffs  almost 
exclusively  as  wearing  apparel ;  but  'not  so  the  northern,  till  the 
improvements  in  machinery  had  so  facilitated  their  fabrication  that 
millions  are  now  clothed  in  manufactures  of  this  article.  The 
sugar  of  the  south,  with  the  hemp  and  flax  of  the  west,  had  by 
this  time  come  into  general  use,  and  the  upper  region  supplied 
bagging  for  the  lower  country.  The  manufacturers,  after  no  smal) 
opposition  from  rival  interests,  began  to  influence  national  econo- 
my; and  having  succeeded  in  establishing  themselves,  were  of 
no,  doubtful  success.  The  march  of  internal  improvements  had 


12  ADDRESS. 

now  commenced,  with  cautious  and  prudential  pleadings  on  the 
one  hand,  and  enthusiastic,  uncalculating  ardour  on  the  other,  and 
in  its  progress  soon  opened  new  markets  for  our  agricultural  and 
manufactured  wealth.  By  these  means,  where  the  necessaries  of 
life  only  were  to  be  obtained,  and  those  of  the  simplest  kind, 
articles  were  required  which  but  a  short  time  before  were  deemed 
luxuries. 

As  the  interior  was  travelling  down,  the  seaboard  was  travel- 
ling up 

Everything  was  quickened  by  the  spirit  of  progressive  advance- 
ment, and  the  whole  country  felt  the  beneficial  effects  to  the 
remotest  village  of  our  wide  spread  confederacy.  We  cannot, 
even  at  the  risk  of  appearing  fanciful,  refrain  from  quoting  an 
appropriate  stanza  from  the  productions  of  a  native  poet,  which, 
though  poetry,  is  not  fiction,  and  though  warmly  coloured  by  a 
vivid  imagination,  is  a  faithful  detail  of  facts.  Speaking  of  the 
union  of  the  lakes  with  the  ocean  at  the  opening  of  the  Erie 
canal : 

"  The  sire  of  ocean  takes 
A  sylvan  maiden  to  his  arms, 

The  goddess  of  the  crystal  lakes, 
In  all  her  native  charms. 
She  comes  attended  by  a  sparkling  train, 

The  naiads  of  the  west  her  nuptials  grace, 
She  meets  the  sceptred  Father  of  the  main, 
And  in  his  heaving  bosom  hides  her  virgin  face." 

The  capabilities  of  every  spot  were  considered  and  measured 
by  their  productive  results.  No  mind  or  body  was  idle ;  every 
one  laboured  to  increase  his  individual  means,  and  thus  directly 
added  to  the  resources  of  the  nation.  The  bosom  of  the  earth 
poured  forth  its  abundance  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  com- 
merce, and  the  demands  of  the  manufacturing  interest.  The 
fables  of  the  ancients  became  truths  to  us.  They  represented 
the  earth  to  be  filled  with  hidden  treasures,  which  it  was  the  high 


ADDRESS.  13 

prerogative  of  genius  and  untiring  perseverance  only  to  obtain. 
We  realize  this  fiction  in  the  value  which  labour,  guided  by  intel- 
ligence, imparts  at  the  present  day  to  the  vilest  substances,  and 
most  unpromising  materials.  The  iron  consumed  every  year, 
exceeds  tenfold  in  value  the  precious  metals  produced  by  all  the 
mines  in  the  world.  The  ancients  considered  that  a  favoured 
land,  where  Ceres  lived  in  harmony  with  Pluto ;  meaning,  doubt- 
less,  that  there  exists  an  intimate  connection  between  all  the  pur- 
suits of  life,  when  efficiently  followed  out ;  and  where  each  mem- 
ber of  a  community  labours  in  behalf  of  himself,  in  the  benefit 
conferred  on  his  neighbour. 

It  has  been  a  part  of  the  creed  of  some  political  economists, 
both  here  and  in  Europe,  that  it  would  be  best  for  us  as  a  nation, 
to  remain,  for  an  indefinite  time  to  come,  agriculturists,  and  suffer 
other  nations  to  come  and  take  the  productions  of  our  soil  in 
exchange  for  their  own  manufactures.  But  this  dogma,  though 
enunciated  so  emphatically  from  the  high  places  of  science  in 
Europe,  and  echoed  by  some  otherwise  sound  politicians  and  true 
patriots  among  us,  has  been  gradually  losing  ground,  and  has  for 
supporters  at  the  present  day,  few  besides  those  who  are  so  evi- 
dently under  the  influence  of  interested  motives,  that  their  argu- 
ments must  appear  vitiated  to  every  impartial  mind :  and  further- 
more, if  ever  so  plausibly  maintained,  they  would  fall  to  the 
ground  from  the  fact  that  the  genius  of  the  people  has  never,  from 
the  commencement  of  the  controversy,  been  in  accordance  with 
them.  The  nation,  almost  without  any  regular  process  of  rea- 
soning, but  guided  by  an  instinctive  impulse,  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  its  labour,  divided  among  the  three  great  interests, 
was  infinitely  more  productive  than  if  confined  to  one  alone ;  and 
nothing  could  prevent  it  from  furnishing  its  own  merchants,  not 
only  for  the  supply  of  domestic,  but  also^  of  every  foreign  com- 
modity. Feeling  an  innate  consciousness  that  no  labour  was  too 
great,  nor  enterprise  too  arduous,  they  set  forth  upon  untried 


14  ADDRESS. 

voyages,  and  cut  with  daring  keels  unknown  oceans,  with  the 
same  hardihobd  that  impelled  them  to  pierce  unexplored  forests 
and  tame  the  howling  wilderness. 

The  sylvan  nursery  philosophy  did  not  suit  the  high-toned 
feelings  of  our  people,  and  with  an  impetuous  rush  they  trod  this 
Arcadian  theory  under  foot.  They  saw  that  the  little  island,  from 
which  a  goodly  proportion  of  our  ancestors  came,  had  arisen  from 
a  speck  in  the  ocean  to  the  empire  of  its  tides ;  and  that  now  no 
longer  the  obscure  spot  on  the  outskirts  of  Europe,  the 

"Ultiraos  orbe  Britannos," 

of  the  Romans,  it  directs  the  fate  of  nations  who  at  first  were 
dazzled  by  the  display  of  its  wealth,  and  awed  by  the  eloquence 
of  its  cannon.  With  such  an  ancestral  example,  they  would  not 
remain  contented  with  the  character  of  tillers  of  the  earth,  how- 
ever eloquently  some  Utopian  enthusiasts  might  declaim  upon  the 
purity  of  a  primitive  people,  and  the  contaminating  effects  of 
commerce  and  manufactures.  They  might  read  an  hundred  times 
the  lamentations  of  the  muse  over  the  decay  of  villages,  and  the 
rise  of  populous  cities ;  but,  however  the  feelings  might  be  inter- 
ested, and  the  fancy  warmed  by  the  elegance  of  the  style  of  such 
effusions,  their  arguments  failed  to  convince  the  reason.  Their 
pines  had  no  sacred  character  which  prevented  them  from  being 
hewn  down  and  fashioned  into  masts  and  spars.  Nor  were  their 
oaks  consecrated  by  any  mistletoe  to  deter  them  from  uprooting 
the  monarch  of  the  forest.  A  sober,  business  spirit  is  abroad, 
and  neither  Fauns  nor  Dryads  can  protect  the  grove  when  it  is 
wanted  for  the  saw  or  axe.  It  must  fall  if  utility  require  the 
sacrifice.  If  any  there  be  who  mourn  over  these  changes,  we 
are  not  among  them.  The  great  branches  of  our  national 
industry  will  constantly  go  on,  destroying  and  recombining  the 
elements  of  productiveness,  till  every  atom  is  made  to  bear  its 


ADDRESS.  15 

greatest  amount  of  value,  and  the  wildest  speculations  of  the 
theorist  are  more  than  equalled  by  the  reality. 

It  has  not  for  years  been  difficult  to  discern  the  signs  of  the 
times.  The  watchword  has  been  "  onward !"  and  wonders 
exceeding  the  prodigies  of  ancient  times  have  been  the  result. 
For  the  seven  of  olden  time  we  can  show  an  hundred,  and  these 
are  but  the  earnest  of  our  future  achievements.  How  many  dis- 
tinguished individuals  who  have  passed  away,  and  like  the  pro- 
phets and  kings  of  the  Psalmist,  have 

"  died  without  the  sight;" 

how  many  of  our  now  deceased  patriots,  who  saw  with  a  super- 
human prescience  the  rising  glories  of  the  western  world  at  the 
period  of  its  greatest  gloom  and  adversity,  have  lamented  that  it 
was  their  lot  to  live  when  they  did,  and  that  it  was  not  permitted 
them  to  antedate  their  existence,  and  behold  the  fruit  of  the 
garden  they  had  planted,  and  fostered  with  their  treasures  and 
their  blood  !  If  such  were  their  regrets,  how  great  should  be 
our  exultation  that  Providence  has  cast  our  lines  in  such  pleasant 
places,  in  such  auspicious  times,  that  to  us  it  has  been  given  to 
view  the  consummation  of  that  national  greatness  and  prosperity 
so  confidently  foretold ;  and  that  we  see  with  our  mortal  eyes  the 
development  of  that  magnificent  drama  thus  glowingly  announced 
by  a  gifted  mind : 

"  Westward  the  star  of  empire  takes  its  way  j 

The  first  four  acts  already  past, 
The  fifth  shall  close  the  drama  with  the  day ; 

Time's  noblest  offspring  is  the  last !" 

If  this  hasty  sketch  of  our  possessions,  prospects,  and  resources, 
be  not  overdrawn, — and  we  feel  confident  that  it  is  not, —  surely  it 
will  not  be  out  of  place  to  pause  a  moment  in  our  onward  career, 
and  inquire  what  we  have  done  as  a  nation  to  add  to  the  accu- 


16  ADDRESS. 

mulated  stock  of  knowledge  contributed  by  other  nations  for  our 
benefit  as  well  as  for  their  own.  The  inquiry  is  brief,  and  the 
answer  is  at  hand.  By  us  no  step  has  been  taken  to  add  even  to 
the  science  of  navigation.  The  great  improvements  in  mathe- 
matical instruments,  which  have  made  the  path  of  the  mariner  in 
the  darkest  night,  and  amid  rushing  tempests,  as  easy  to  be  ascer- 
tained and  followed  as  a  paved  street  in  a  populous  city, — these 
improvements,  of  which  we  daily  and  hourly  reap  the  advantage, 
were  brought  to  light  by  the  liberality  of  foreign  governments,  and 
we  still  continue  to  sail  by  charts  we  have  had  no  hand  in  making. 
Bowditch,  the  Blunts,  and  a  few  others,  have  done  somewhat  in 
aid  of  navigation, — much,  indeed,  for  individuals  ;  but  our  govern- 
ment, from  which  alone  any  extended  and  efficient  assistance  can 
proceed,  has  done  absolutely  nothing.  Perhaps  the  present  lauda- 
ble labours  in  perfecting  a  survey  of  our  own  coast,  should  exempt 
it  in  some  measure  from  this  unqualified  censure ;  but  when  we 
reflect  that  this  measure  was  recommended  during  the  administra- 
tion of  Jefferson,  and  though  urged  and  reurged  for  a  long  suc- 
cession of  years,  has  only  a  short  time  since  been  taken  in  hand, 
we  think  ourselves  justified  in  affirming  that  much  of  the  merit 
we  might  be  disposed  to  assume  has  been  neutralized  by  this  pro- 
longed and  inexcusable  delay.  Thus  it  is  that  we  are  at  this 
eleventh  hour  of  the  day  employed  in  obtaining  an  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  our  own  coasts,  when  we  are  the  second  if  not  the  first 
commercial  nation,  and  have  more  tonnage  than  all  the  nations 
of  Europe  when  Columbus  discovered  this  continent,  and  when 
our  navy,  small  as  it  appears  in  point  of  numbers,  has  more 
effective  force  than  the  combined  fleets  of  the  old  world  at  that 
period. 

What  other  nations  have  accomplished  is  everywhere  to  be 
seen;  in  books,  maps,  charts,  and  in  the  collections  of  our  com- 
mercial libraries.  Even  Spain,  while  guided  by  her  exclusive 
interests,  and  burdened  with  destructive  monopolies,  while  her 


ADDRESS.  17 

power  was  respected  in  the  east  and  extending  in  the  west,  made 
many  contributions  to  geographical  knowledge  in  the  construction 
of  numerous  charts,  characterized  by  great  accuracy.  Indeed,  to 
give  a  history  of  discovery  is  to  sketch  a  living  picture  of  the 
universe,  the  great  outlines  of  which  have  been  progressively 
drawn,  and  many  advances  made  in  filling  up  and  imparting  the 
lights  and  shades  to  the  picture. 

The  Italians  and  Portuguese,  equally  adventurous,  but  far  bet- 
ter informed,  ventured  boldly  upon  the  high  seas,  and  made  many 
important  discoveries.  The  Danes  and  Norwegians,  undeterred 
by  the  cheerless  aspect  of  the  Arctic  regions,  pushed  into  the 
north,  and  planted  colonies  upon  the  ice-girt  shores  of  Greenland. 
On  every  side  the  barriers  of  prejudice  were  trodden  down.  The 
temperate  zones  were  no  longer  deemed  the  only  habitable  por- 
tion of  the  globe.  The  torrid  zone,  instead  of  enclosing  sandy 
deserts,  scorched  up  by  the  intolerable  heat  of  a  vertical  sun,  was 
found  to  teem  with  organic  life,  and  to  possess  a  population  even 
more  dense  than  that  of  the  temperate  zones,  together  with  a  soil 
equally  well  adapted  to  the  support  of  animal  and  vegetable  life. 

The  frigid  zones  were  no  longer  begirt  with  perpetual  snows, 
where  nature,  as  if  to  amuse  herself  in  the  loneliness  of  her  soli- 
tude, exhibited  the  wildest  and  most  fantastic  forms.  Navigators 
advanced  toward  the  north,  and  found  that  during  the  partial  sum- 
mer, plants  grew,  flowers  bloomed,  and  that  human  beings  made 
it  their  permanent  residence  and  home  throughout  the  year. 

For  a  long  time,  however,  after  Galileo  had  taught  the  sublime 
doctrine  that  the  earth  was  not  an  immense  plain,  bounded  by  the 
horizon,  which  itself  was  inclosed  by  some  impassable  barrier; 
and  that  the  eighty  millions  of  fixed  stars  which  are  visible  through 
a  good  telescope,  were  centres  of  other  systems,  and  not  mere 
ignes  fatui,  created  from  inflammable  vapours,  lighted  up  each 
night  by  the  hands  of  some  kind  deity; — yes,  for  a  long  time 
subsequent  to  this  discovery,  the  knowledge  of  the  most  enlight- 

3 


18  ADDRESS. 

ened  nations  was  confined  within  the  circumference  of  a  few 
thousand  miles  in  extent.  At  length  Columbus  taught  the  world 
the  pathway  to  a  new  hemisphere ;  and  other  voyagers,  at  various 
successive  periods,  discovered  New  Holland,  New  Zealand,  and 
the  numerous  groups  of  islands  throughout  the  Indian,  Pacific, 
and  Southern  oceans.  With  these  discoveries  commences  the 
era  of  modern  geography. 

The  very  existence  of  the  Pacific  ocean  was  unknown  to  Euro- 
peans until  1513,  when  Balboa,  a  Spanish  commander,  guided  by 
some  natives,  crossed  the  dividing  ridge  of  the  Andes  at  the 
Isthmus  of  Darien.  It  was  now  an  important  desideratum  to 
open  a  passage  by  sea  to  this  unexplored  ocean,  and  thence  by  a 
new  route  to  arrive  at  the  Moluccas,  and  the  East  Indian  posses- 
sions of  the  Spanish  crown.  It  was  for  this  purpose  that  Ma- 
gellan set  out  upon  his  memorable  voyage,  for  which  he  was 
fitted  out  by  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  The  results  of  this  expe- 
dition proved  him  well  suited  for  the  prosecution  of  so  bold  a 
design. 

In  November,  1520,  he  succeeded  in  passing  the  straits  bearing 
his  name,  and  determining  the  southern  limits  of  the  new  conti- 
nent ;  and  as  he  beheld  the  mighty  expanse  of  ocean  opening 
before  him,  is  said  to  have  shed  tears  in  the  fulness  of  his  triumph 
and  joy.  The  Pacific  was  traversed,  the  Spice  Islands  reached, 
and  though  Magellan  himself  fell  ingloriously  by  the  spear  of  a 
native,  his  successor  in  command  returned  in  safety  home,  laden 
with  treasures  and  the  most  curious  and  valuable  productions  of 
nature  and  art. 

Thus  terminated  the  most  remarkable  voyage  on  record,  that 
of  Columbus  alone  excepted.  He  stands  alone,  and  at  an  unap- 
proachable distance  above  every  other  competitor.  To  him  be- 
longs the  undivided,  unparcelled  praise  of  having  conceived  and 
accomplished  that  which  the  most  daring  navigator  had  not  the 
science  to  imagine,  nor  the  moral  courage  to  propose.  Magellan, 


ADDRESS.  19 

however,  can  claim  the  high  distinction  of  a  rank  second  only  to 
Columbus,  since  he  performed  that  which,  though  often  attempted, 
had  never  been  accomplished. 

When  the  particulars  of  this  voyage  became  known,  they  pro- 
duced, as  was  naturally  to  have  been  expected,  much  excitement 
among  the  commercial  nations  of  Europe,  who  were  disposed  to 
look  upon  it  as  conferring  a  common  benefit;  while  the  jealous 
and  narrowminded  court  of  Seville,  wished  to  retain  this  new 
route  to  the  Moluccas  as  an  acquisition  exclusively  its  own.  But 
the  maritime  spirit  was  too  thoroughly  awakened  among  its  rivals 
to  be  repressed  by  any  cunning  devices  of  a  jealous  policy,  or  the 
use  of  military  force.  The  Hollanders  soon  doubled  Cape  Horn, 
and  the  extent  of  the  new  world  in  the  Southern  Hemisphere, 
with  a  number  of  its  accessory  islands,  was  accurately  ascertained. 

England  rose  like  a  sleeping  leviathan  from  the  depths  of  the 
ocean,  and  after  many  struggles,  became  undisputed  mistress  of 
the  seas.  In  her  long  and  hard  contested  endeavours  to  obtain 
the  mastery  on  the  deep  with  Spain,  Portugal,  Holland,  and 
France,  the  science  of  navigation  and  ship-building  received  its 
greatest  improvements ;  and  the  knowledge  of  ports,  islands, 
rocks,  and  shoals,  which  was  acquired  for  the  furtherance  of 
mutual  destruction,  became  invaluable  on  the  return  of  peace,  in 
the  prosecution  of  commerce  and  the  arts  of  peace. 

The  more  recent  voyagers  have  not  had  before  them  the  same 
wide  field  for  adventure,  but  they  have  not  gained  the  less  honour, 
for  they  carried  with  them  more  science  and  more  humanity. 
The  names  of  Cook,  Byron,  Wallis,  Vancouver,  Bligh,  Flinders, 
and  the  lamented  La  Perouse,  are  entwined  with  the  earliest 
associations  of  our  youth ;  and  their  contributions  to  our  knowl 
edge  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  and  their  "  dusky  tribes,"  are 
various  and  invaluable.  It  was  at  this  period  when  war,  with  all 
its  desolating  effects,  was  raging  between  France  and  England, 
that  each  of  these  countries  sent  out  an  expedition,  whose  sole 


20  ADDRESS. 

object  was  the  extension  of  the  bounds  of  geographical  knowl 
edge ;  thus  mingling  the  bays  of  science  with  the  laurelled 
wreaths  of  martial  glory.  It  is  farther  worthy  of  especial  notice, 
as  redounding  infinitely  to  the  credit  of  the  French  government, 
that  upon  its  being  announced  that  the  expedition  of  Captain 
Cook  was  on  its  return  homeward,  laden  with  stores  more  valua- 
ble than  gold,  the  collections  in  all  departments  of  science  and 
natural  history,  and  the  fruits  of  the  three  years'  labours,  the  king 
published  a  proclamation,  wherein,  after  reciting  the  objects  for 
which  the  voyage  of  Cook  was  undertaken,  proceeds  to  forbid 
any  French  subject  from  capturing  or  detaining  him ;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  commands  them  to  grant  every  aid  in  furtherance  of  the 
ends  of  the  expedition ;  thus  paying  a  homage  to  science, —  thus 
consecrating  the  flag  of  a  rival  nation  by  a  perpetual  flag  of  truce. 

Since  the  general  peace  of  Europe,  the  spirit  of  enlightened 
research  has  been  actively  employed,  and  great  and  valuable 
acquisitions  have  been  the  result.  Russia  has  been  engaged  in 
prosecuting  discoveries  in  every  part  of  the  globe.  She  has  sent 
land  expeditions  into  the  unknown  regions  of  Tartary  north  of 
Thibet,  and  under  the  shadow  of  the  snow-capped  range  of  Him- 
maleh  and  Imans,  and  into  the  interior  of  the  northwest  portion 
of  our  continent.  Men  of  science  have  been  commissioned  to 
explore  the  northern  boundary  of  Siberia,  and  to  determine  points 
on  that  extensive  coast,  hitherto  of  doubtful  position.  In  the 
Southern  Ocean  her  ships  have  penetrated  as  far  as  the  70° 
parallel  of  latitude,  and  discovered  islands  which  had  escaped  the 
searching  eye  of  Cook.  They  also  boast  of  having  rounded  the 
Sandwich  Land  of  that  celebrated  navigator. 

The  recent  contributions  of  the  French  to  literature  and  science, 
from  the  voyages  of  Freycenet,  Duperre,  Bougainville,  and  others, 
have  been  of  the  greatest  value,  imparting  to  geography  and  natu- 
ral history  an  attic  elegance,  unapproached  by  any  other  people 
of  past  or  present  times. 


ADDRESS.  21 

England,  however,  stands  preeminent  as  a  nation  in  the  noble 
zeal  she  has  manifested  for  the  furtherance  of  geographical 
knowledge.  She  is  ever  occupied  with  great  objects,  and  ever 
doing  great  things.  She  seizes  on  the  sciences  as  a  tiger  on  its 
prey,  and  consults  her  own  interests,  and  sometimes  those  of  her 
neighbours,  with  noble  expansion  of  thought.  Her  expeditions 
for  the  discovery  of  a  northwest  passage  are  familiar  to  all ;  and 
though  unsuccessful  in  the  attainment  of  their  main  object,  have 
done  much  to  perfect  our  knowledge  of  the  geography  of  the 
northern  regions.  By  these  praiseworthy  endeavours,  the  nation 
has  gained  something  more  substantial  than  renown ;  since,  in 
addition  to  the  lustre  shed  over  the  British  name,  the  transfer  of 
the  whale  fishery  from  East  to  West  Greenland  has  yielded  a 
rich  return  for  all  her  expenditures,  lavish  as  they  had  been.  Not 
to  particularize  all  the  voyages  undertaken  within  the  last  ten 
years  alone,  to  promote  the  interests  of  science,  by  this  enter- 
prising, liberal,  and  philanthropic  people,  we  will  merely  mention 
that  of  Captain  Owen  for  the  survey  of  the  southeastern  coast  of 
Africa,  and  that  of  Captain  King  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the 
straits  of  Magellan,  and  constructing  accurate  charts  of  that 
hitherto  almost  unknown  passage  to  the  Pacific,  as  among  the 
most  useful  and  interesting.  The  benefit  of  the  latter  will  be 
reaped  almost  exclusively  by  our  own  vessels. 

At  this  moment,  another  enterprise  to  the  Arctic  regions  is 
being  matured  in  Great  Britain.  Before  a  recent  meeting  of  the 
Royal  Geographical  Society,  Sir  John  Barrow  in  the  chair,  a 
communication  on  the  subject  of  further  expeditions  to  the  north 
ern  shores  of  our  own  continent,  prefaced  by  a  letter  from  Dr. 
Fitton,  pressing,  personally  and  in  the  name  of  the  society,  the 
expediency  of  such  a  measure,  was  read  by  Dr.  Richardson.  At 
various  intervals  during  three  centuries,  England  has  exhibited 
strong  interest  in  the  discovery  of  a  northwest  passage ;  nor  will 
she  ever  resign  the  investigation  until  the  issue  is  certain.  She 


22  ADDRESS. 

may  be  more  or  less  active  at  any  given  period,  as  circumstances 
may  control ;  but  even  if  abandoned  by  the  present  age,  succeed- 
ing generations  will  revert  to  the  inquiry,  till  it  "be  either  crowned 
with  success,  or  the  discovery  of  an  insurmountable  barrier  shall 
demonstrate  its  futility.  Its  object  will  be  accomplished.  The 
entire  outline  of  coast  may  be  delineated  by  land ;  the  northern 
extremity  of  our  continent  will  yet  be  doubled  by  sea.  In  the 
extent  of  coast  from  Behring's  Straits  to  Baffin's  Bay,  about  one 
hundred  degrees  of  longitude  are  comprised ;  between  the  dis- 
coveries of  Captain  Beechy  and  of  Captain  Franklin,  not  more 
than  six  degrees  ;  and  say  ten  degrees  between  the  latter  and 
those  of  Captain  Ross.  The  point  attained  by  Captain  Back 
gives  us  one  degree  more ;  and  the  space  from  thence  to  the 
southeastern  extremity  of  Regent's  Inlet  includes  about  200  miles. 
With  these  exceptions  the  whole  extent  has  already  been  traced 
on  the  map.  There  is  no  insuperable  impediment  to  what  remains 
to  do.  The  subject  has  been  submitted  to  the  consideration  of  a 
committee  composed  of  Barrow,  Parry,  Franklin,  Beaufort,  Back, 
Maconochie,  Richardson,  and  Parrish ;  men  distinguished  for  the 
highest  traits  of  intelligence  and  enduring  enterprise.  By  this 
committee  we  have  no  doubt  the  undertaking  will  be  strongly 
recommended.  Let  them  proceed.  We  yield  them  the  north. 
For  us  a  wider  range,  a  nobler  field,  a  prospect  of  more  compre- 
hensive promise,  lies  open  in  the  south.  Often,  with  reference  to 
this  subject,  in  conversation  with  otherwise  well-informed  persons, 
we  have  been  asked  the  question,  "What  advantage  has  Great 
Britain  derived  from  her  endeavours  to  find  a  northwest  passage, 
and  what  does  she  still  promise  herself  in  the  prosecution  of  a 
design  which,  even  if  accomplished,  can  never  lead  to  any  prac- 
tical benefit  in  carrying  on  the  commerce  of  the  world?"  We 
answer  that  the  question,  cui  bono  ?  should  never  be  put  in  affairs 
of  this  kind.  Scientific  research  ought  not  to  be  thus  weighed. 
Its  utility  cannot  be  computed  in  advance,  but  becomes  apparent 


ADDRESS.  23 

when  the  results  are  made  known.  This  is  an  immutable  law  of 
nature,  and  applies  to  all  matters  of  science  or  invention,  as  well 
as  to  the  progress  of  geographical  discovery.  On  this  point  his- 
tory teaches  us  an  important  and  instructive  lesson.  Let  us  profit 
by  it,  and  take  courage  in  our  own  efforts.  To  the  attempts  made 
by  England  in  a  past  age  to  discover  a  northwest  passage,  we  owe 
the  knowledge  of  North  America  itself;  a  result — and,  be  it 
remembered,  a  contingent  result — pregnant  with  consequences 
which  swell  beyond  the  grasp  of  human  computation.  By  the 
same  exertions  was  opened  the  Hudson's  Bay  fur  trade,  one  of 
the  most  valuable  monopolies  recorded  in  the  annals  of  commerce 
To  these  may  be  added  the  Newfoundland  cod  fishery,  the  whale 
fishery  in  Davis'  Straits,  and  many  other  vast  commercial  and 
political  advantages,  derived  from  the  same  adventitious  sources ; 
sources  from  which  Great  Britain  has  obtained  immense,  almost 
incalculable  treasure.  Yet  not  one  of  these  rewards  of  enterprise 
was  anticipated,  or  formed  an  element  in  the  calculation,  when  her 
Cabot,  her  Davis,  her  Hudson  and  Baffin,  were  despatched  on 
their  perilous  voyages.  Thus  has  it  ever  been ;  and  thus,  we 
venture  to  predict,  will  it  be  with  us,  in  the  great  national  under- 
taking, the  importance  of  which  we  have  now  assembled  to 
discuss. 

Indeed,  I  do  not  believe  that  there  is  a  record  of  a  single  voyage 
since  the  days  of  Columbus,  or,  even,  since  that  remote  period  of 
fabulous  history,  when  the  celebrated  son  of  Alcimede  embarked 
on  his  daring  expedition,  the  youngest  and  bravest  of  the  Greeks 
sharing  his  toils  and  his  glory,  in  search  of  the  golden  fleece, 
which  does  not  contain  in  it  the  evidence  of  some  contribution  to 
the  knowledge  of  mankind,  worth  vastly  more  than  the  cost  of  the 
enterprise ! 

On  taking  leave  of  this  branch  of  our  subject,  in  order  to  place 
in  a  yet  more  striking  light  and  stronger  contrast  the  efforts  of 
other  nations  as  compared  with  our  own,  we  will  state  the  simple 


24  ADDRESS. 

but  impressive  fact,  that  when  in  the  Pacific  a  short  time  since, 
we  met  with  a  Prussian  discovery  ship ;  and  this,  too,  when  that 
nation  has  scarcely  an  hundred  tons  of  shipping  to  be  protected  in 
the  whole  Southern  Ocean ! 

This  is  a  hasty,  and,  from  our  limits,  necessarily  imperfect 
review  of  what  other  nations  have  done  and  are  still  doing,  for  the 
benefit  of  science  and  commerce  in  the  field  of  discovery.  That 
these  voyages  have  not  only  conferred  honour,  but  proved  gainful 
by  means  of  the  new  channels  they  have  opened  to  commercial 
intercourse,  will  be  denied  by  no  one  who  reflects  for  a  moment 
upon  the  diversity  of  the  products  of  the  earth's  surface,  and  the 
facility  with  which  they  may  be  turned  to  good  account  in  the 
trade  between  inhabitants  of  its  more  distant  portions.  We  have 
not  been  slow  in  appropriating  to  ourselves  the  gains  of  such 
labours  of  foreign  nations,  until  our  commercial  marine  has  be- 
come so  extensive,  that  we  must  now  look  to  ourselves  for  its 
protection. 

It  is  to  be  found  in  the  most  unfrequented  bays  of  the  most 
distant  and  barbarous  nations,  on  seas  but  partially  explored, 
where  no  chart  indicates  the  hidden  rock  or  perilous  sandbank, 
and  everything  depends  upon  a  kind  of  instinctive,  intuitive  saga- 
city and  foreknowledge  of  approaching  danger,  which  nothing  but 
a  constant  exposure  to  appalling  hazards  can  ever  give.  To  pos- 
sess this  quality,  one  should  be,  in  the  language  of  Byron,  "a 
child  of  the  sea ;"  and  it  is  only  necessary  to  hear  one  of  our  own 
hardy  sailors  recount  his  adventures  from  boyhood  upward,  to 
have  the  history  of  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  the  same 
hardy  population,  brought  up  to  lay  their  hands  upon  the  mane  of 
the  combing  wave,  and  wanton  in  the  rock-chafed  billow.  In 
every  part  of  the  earth's  circumference  where  a  keel  can  go,  our 
countrymen  are  to  be  found,  gleaning  the  molluscous  treasures  from 
the  coral  reefs  in  equatorial  climes,  and  even  venturing  into  the 
interior  of  benighted  Africa,  though  not  like  Denham,  Clapperton, 


V   •«{*' 


ADDRESS.  25 

and  the  Landers,  for  the  purpose  of  laying  open  the  source  of  the 
mysterious  Niger,  but  to  drag  the  huge  rhinoceros  from  his 
marshes,  the  ponderous  elephant  from  his  groves,  and  seize  the 
Numidian  lion  in  his  lair ;  and  not  only  have  our  zoological  insti- 
tutes been  thus  supplied  for  the  gratification  of  the  curious  visiter 
and  the  student  of  natural  history,  but  numbers  have  been  sent 
from  hence  for  the  supply  of  the  European  market ! 

With  these  observations  we  proceed  to  the  consideration,  not 
of  what  we  have  done,  but  of  what  we  have  so  long  been  promis- 
ing to  do.  We  mean  a  naval  enterprise,  or  voyage  of  discovery, 
to  be  fitted  out  in  the  best  manner,  with  every  scientific  appliance, 
at  the  public  expense,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  increasing  our 
knowledge  of  the  Pacific  and  Southern  Oceans,  where  our  com- 
merce is  now  carried  on,  as  we  shall  be  able  to  show,  far  beyond 
the  bounds  of  ordinary  protection. 

As  early  as  the  session  of  1826-7,  a  proposition  for  fitting  out 
an  expedition  of  this  nature  was  brought  before  congress.*  It  was 
recommended  by  numerous  memorials,  embracing  among  others  a 
resolution  from  the  legislature  of  Maryland,  a  memorial  from  the 
governor  and  both  branches  of  the  legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  a 
similar  one  from  the  state  of  Ohio,  and  various  other  addresses, 
petitions,  and  memorials,  from  many  cities  of  the  Union.  The 
House  appointed  a  select  committee  to  consider  the  prayer  of 
these  memorialists ;  but,  owing  to  the  great  press  of  unfinished 
business,  and  the  exciting  discussions  which  then  absorbed  the 
attention  of  the  members,  they  had  little  leisure  to  consider  the 
subject  of  a  national  expedition,  however  useful  and  necessary  in 
itself. 

Favourable  opinions,  however,  were  entertained  by  the  commit- 
tee with  regard  to  the  project,  novel  as  it  then  appeared  to  the 
House  and  the  country  at  large.  The  advocates  of  the  measure 


*  Document  No.  1. 

B 


26  ADDRESS. 

did  not  anticipate  any  decisive  action  on  the  part  of  congress  at 
that  time ;  and  the  committee,  willing  to  promote  inquiry,  and  still 
further  interest  the  public  mind,  moved  a  special  reference  of  the 
whole  matter  to  the  Navy  Department.  In  this  proposition  the 
House  concurred. 

During  the  interval' between  the  first  and  second  sessions  of  the 
twentieth  congress,  the  subject  of  the  expedition,  and  the  objects 
to  be  attained  by  it,  were  often  discussed  in  the  journals  of  the 
day ;  and  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  not  a  single  press  through- 
out the  country  raised  its  voice  in  opposition  to  the  measure. 
The  commercial  portion  of  our  community,  and  especially  those 
immediately  interested  in  the  whale  fishery,  the  fur  trade,  and  the 
traffic  with  the  South  Sea  Islanders,  came  forward  in  favour  of  the 
enterprise  as  one  man.  It  will  be  seen  hereafter  what  reason  they 
had  to  complain  of  the  tardy  action  of  congress.  They  had  been 
long  subjected  to  losses,  and  exposed  to  dangers  from  which  such 
an  expedition  would  have  saved  them,  and  their  memorials  were 
accordingly  strong  in  its  favour.  Other  memorials  proceeded 
from  the  legislatures  of  New  York,  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  North 
Carolina ;  and  their  character  and  number  were  such  as  to  claim 
from  congress  the  most  careful  consideration  of  the  subject.  On 
their  reference  to  the  committee  on  naval  affairs,  its  chairman 
addressed  a  letter  to  the  secretary  of  the  navy,  requesting  the 
opinion  of  the  department  respecting  the  expedition,  and  a  pro- 
ject of  a  law  authorising  it.  The  answer  of  the  secretary,  the 
consequent  report  of  the  committee,  and  the  other  papers  pub- 
lished during  the  session,  contain  a  full  exposition  of  the  objects 
of  the  proposed  enterprise  at  that  period.* 

The  secretary,  in  his  reply,  says  : 

"  I  entertain  the  opinion  that  such  an  expedition  is  expedient. 
My  reasons  are  briefly  these : 

*  Document  No.  2.5.6.7.8. 


ADDRESS.  27 

"  That  we  have  an  immense  and  increasing  commerce  in  that 
region,  which  needs  the  protecting  kindness  of  the  government, 
and  may  be  greatly  extended  by  such  an  expedition.  Of  the 
extent  and  nature  of  this  commerce,  it  is  not  easy  to  write  briefly) 
nor  is  it  necessary.  It  is  better*  known  to  none  than  to  some  of 
the  members  of  the  naval  committee  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. The  estimate  of  its  value  has  been  much  augmented, 
in  the  view  of  the  Department,  by  the  reports  which  have  been 
made,  under  its  orders,  by  our  naval  officers,  who  have  com- 
manded vessels  of  war  in  the  Pacific,  and  which  are  now  on  file. 

"The  commercial  operations  carried  on  in  that  quarter,  are 
difficult  and  hazardous.  They  are  correctly  represented  in  the 
memorial  of  the  inhabitants  of  Nantucket,  to  which  I  would  refer, 
as  well  as  to  some  of  the  many  other  memorials  which  have  been 
addressed  to  Congress  on  this  subject.  It  would  seem  wise  in 
the  government  to  render  these  commercial  operations  less  hazard- 
ous and  less  destructive  of  life  and  property,  if  it  can  be  done  by 
a  moderate  expenditure  of  money. 

"  The  commerce  in  the  Pacific  ocean  affords  one  of  the  best 
nurseries  of  our  seamen.  An  expedition,  such  as  that  proposed, 
would  be  calculated  to  increase  that  class  of  citizens — an  increase 
in  which  the  government  and  nation  are  deeply  interested. 

"We  now  navigate  the  ocean,  and  acquire  our  knowledge  of 
the  globe,  its  divisions,  and  properties,  almost  entirely  from  the 
contributions  of  others.  By  sending  an  expedition  into  that  im 
mense  region,  so  little  known  to  the  civilized  world,  we  shall  add 
something  to  the  common  stock  of  geographical  knowledge,  which 
is  not  merely  useful  to  commerce,  but  connects  itself  with  almost 
all  the  concerns  of  society ;  and,  while  we  make  our  contributions 
to  this  common  stock,  we  shall  not  fail  to  derive  the  best  advan- 
tages to  ourselves,  and  be  richly  paid,  even  in  a  calculation  of 
expenditure  and  profit." 

On  this  view  of  the  subject,  thus  perspicuously  set  forth,  the 


28  ADDRESS. 

committee  felt  themselves  called  upon  to  give  it  a  more  careful 
consideration  than  had  been  bestowed  upon  it  during  the  session 
preceding,  and  their  report  will  show  that  they  coincided  fully  in 
the  opinion  expressed  by  the  Department. 

Indeed,  their  report  was  drawn*  up  with  much  labour,  and  was 
characterized  by  patient  and  extensive  research ;  yet,  great  as  the 
amount  of  our  commerce  in  the  Southern  Ocean  was  shown  to  be, 
and  important  as  were  the  interests  requiring  protection  at  that 
time,  subsequent  inquiry  has  proved  that  they  fell  far,  very  far 
short  of  the  truth.  The  report  was  placed  on  the  list  of  business 
to  be  acted  upon ;  but,  with  many  other  important  matters,  at  the 
close  of  a  hurried  and  excited  session,  could  not  be  finally  dis- 
posed of.  As  the  session  was  drawing  rapidly  to  a  close,  it 
oecame  evident  that  the  action  of  congress  could  not  be  had  on 
the  bill;  and  it  was  at  this  time,  21st  May,  that  the  following 
resolutions  were  drawn  up,  and  being  accepted  by  the  committee 
on  naval  affairs  as  a  substitute  for  the  bill,  passed  the  House 
almost  unanimously  but  a  few  days  before  the  close  of  the 
session : 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient  that  one  of  our  small  public 
vessels  be  sent  to  the  Pacific  ocean  and  South  seas,  to  examine 
the  coasts,  islands,  harbours,  shoals,  and  reefs,  in  those  seas,  and 
to  ascertain  their  true  situation  and  description. 

"Resolved,  That  the  President  of  the  United  States  be  re- 
quested to  send  one  of  our  small  public  vessels  into  those  seas 
for  that  purpose,  and  that  he  be  requested  to  afford  such  facilities 
as  may  be  within  the  reach  of  the  Navy  Department,  to  attain  the 
objects  proposed;  provided  it  can  be  done  without  prejudice  to 
the  general  interest  of  the  naval  service ;  and  provided  it  may  be 
done  without  further  appropriations  during  the  present  year." 

Thus  terminated  the  action  of  the  House  upon  the  subject  of 
the  expedition.  The  specific  character  of  the  resolutions,  viewed 
in  connection  with  the  numerous  memorials  expressing  the  senti- 


ADDRESS.  29 

ments  not  only  of  our  commercial  cities,  but  of  the  legislatures 
of  states,  comprising  more  than  half  the  population  of  the  union, 
and  represented  on  the  floor  of  congress  by  one  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  members,  imposed  upon  the  department  a  duty 
clearly  definable,  and  requiring  prompt  and  decisive  action. 
There  was  neither  time  nor  pretext  for  further  delay.  Measures 
were  accordingly  adopted,  and  every  preliminary  step  taken  to 
forward  the  enterprise.  Though  no  specific  appropriation  had 
been  made,  yet,  by  the  tenour  of  the  resolutions,  the  whole 
resources  of  the  Department  might  be  legitimately  employed  to 
promote  it,  since  usage  has  admitted  a  yet  bolder  and  wider  range 
so  long  as  the  action  of  the  Department  has  been  directed  to  sub- 
serve the  general  interests  of  the  service,  especially  if  it  did  not 
require  "  additional  appropriations  during  the  current  year."  But 
another  session  was  at  hand ;  and  the  President,  in  his  message  to 
congress,  dated  December  1,  1828,  recognized  the  importance  of 
the  measure  ;  while  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  in  his  annual 
report  to  the  Executive,  gave  an  expos£  of  what  had  been  done 
preparatory  to  carrying  the  views  of  congress  into  effect. 

Thus,  during  the  recess,  orders  had  been  given  to  repair  the 
Peacock  with  a  view  to  the  expedition,  and  all  necessary  repairs 
had  been  made;  officers  of  approved  skill  had  been  ordered  to 
hold  themselves  in  readiness,  and  were  eager  to  be  employed  in 
the  enterprise; — while  suitable  seamen  were  enlisted,  and  orders 
given  to  prepare  the  requisite  books  and  mathematical  instru- 
ments ;  and  correspondence  had  been  held  with  some  of  our  most 
distinguished  scientific  men  throughout  the  land,  in  order  to  facili- 
tate the  selection  of  persons  to  be  attached  to  the  expedition,  and 
to  aid  in  drawing  up  instructions.  In  a  word,  everything  had  been 
done  which  a  prudent  foresight  could  suggest,  to  render  the  expe- 
dition efficient  for  the  protection  of  our  commerce,  and  honourable 
to  our  common  country. 

The  bill  reported  during  the  preceding  session  was  now  taken 


30  ADDRESS. 

up.  It  passed  the  House  by  a  large  majority,  and  nothing  was 
wanting  but  the  action  of  the  Senate. 

We  understand  it  is  not  deemed  in  order  to  refer  minutely  to 
the  proceedings  of  that  body ;  it  is  sufficient  for  our  present  pur- 
pose to  remark  that  the  committee  to  whom  the  bill  was  referred, 
though  conceding  the  importance  of  the  proposed  enterprise,  dif- 
fered among  themselves  as  to  the  precise  character  the  expedition 
should  assume,  and  the  time  when  it  would  be  most  proper  to 
despatch  it;  and  that  before  these  and  some  other  unimportant 
matters  could  be  adjusted,  the  session  drew  near  its  close ;  so  that 
the  bill,  or  rather  a  modification  of  it,  when  at  last  introduced,  was 
preceded  on  the  list  by  such  a  mass  of  business,  that  it  could  not 
be  reached  by  the  Senate  before  its  final  adjournment.  It  was 
from  this  cause  alone, — and  not,  as  some  have  supposed,  in  con- 
sequence of  a  vote  of  the  Senate,— that  the  bill  was  lost ;  since, 
to  our  certain  knowledge,  there  were  in  that  body  at  that  time  a 
decided  majority  in  favour  of  the  expedition. 

Had  it  then  been  permitted  to  sail,  well  matured  as  it  unques- 
tionably was,  results  useful  and  honourable  to  our  country  must 
have  followed  in  its  train.  That  it  did  not  sail  has  been  a  subject 
of  regret  to  every  enlightened  mind  in  the  least  acquainted  with 
the  subject,  without  reference  to  party,  profession,  or  sectional 
feelings. 

The  strong  and  pressing  considerations  which  called  for  it  at 
that  period,  have  not  been  weakened  by  the  lapse  of  years ;  on 
the  contrary,  they  have  increased  in  proportion  to  the  augmenta- 
tion of  our  tonnage,  and  the  extent  of  our  voyages  into  those 
distant  seas.  What  was  once  known  only  by  the  information 
derived  from  others,  has  since  been  confirmed  by  personal  expe- 
rience, and  by  five  years  of  adventures  by  sea  and  land,  over  a 
large  portion  of  the  earth's  surface,  embracing  every  clime,  from 
the  exuding  tropics  where  reigns  perennial  spring,  and  where  the 
green  foliage  scarce  fades  into  the  seared  leaf  before  the  swelling 


ADDRESS.  31 

bud  again  bursts  from  its  calyx,  while  the  bough  from  "which  its 
beauties  are  unfolding  is  still  bowed  down  by  the  weight  of  ripen- 
ing fruit ;  to  the  sterile  regions  of  eternal  snow  and  "  thick-ribbed 
ice,"  along  the  confines  of  the  Antarctic  circle.  Yes,  I  repeat  it ! 
five  years  of  adventure,  with  every  opportunity  of  observation, 
have  impressed  upon  my  mind  the  strong  and  abiding  conviction, 
that  such  an  expedition  as  that  now  proposed,  is  called  for  by 
considerations  of  honour,  interest,  humanity,  and  imperious  duty. 

Is  this  the  language  of  enthusiasm,  excited  by  a  spirit  of  wild 
adventure,  unconnected  with  sober  reality,  and  unsustained  by 
well  authenticated  facts  ?  If  there  be  any  of  my  hearers  of  this 
opinion,  especially  among  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  investigate 
and  decide  on  all  matters  of  national  concern,  we  must  bespeak 
their  attention  for  yet  a  few  moments  longer.  . 

For  a  number  of  years  after  our  whaleships  had  doubled  Cape 
Horn,  their  voyages  were  made  up  along  the  Spanish  Main.  As 
their  number  increased,  new  grounds  were  sought,  and  portions 
of  the  ocean  traversed  which  lay  far  from  the  usual  track  of  mer- 
chantmen. In  these  untried  paths,  new  reefs,  new  islands,  and 
new  dangers,  were  constantly  encountered,  and  their  situation 
noted  down  in  the  log-books  and  journals  of  vessels  as  they 
chanced  to  fall  in  their  way.  On  their  return  to  the  United 
States,  these  discoveries  generally  formed  a  paragraph,  which 
went  the  rounds  of  the  press,  and  then  sunk  into  oblivion.  Often, 
however,  it  was  seized  upon  by  some  European  constructer  of 
maps,  and  placed  in  the  charts  as  an  important  acquisition  to 
geography,  but  without  mentioning  the  names,  or  alluding  to  the 
nation  of  the  discoverers  from  whose  individual  exertions  such 
information  had  been  derived.  For  more  than  thirty  years  have 
these  contributions  to  the  common  stock  of  knowledge  been 
annually  made,  until  the  result  presents  a  picture  of  more  daring 
and  successful  enterprise  than  is  to  be  found  in  the  annals  of  any 
other  nation.  And  this,  too,  has  been  as  silently  and  unobtru- 


32  ADDRESS. 

sively  progressing  as  the  labours  of  the  zoophyte,  that  motionless 
inhabitant  of  the  deep,  from  whose  accumulated  exuviae  the  pre- 
cipitous ramparts  of  calcareous  rock  are  formed,  until  the  coral 
reef,  by  slow  degrees,  rises  above  the  surface  of  the  ocean,  and, 
oecoming  an  island,  blooms  with  the  luxuriant  vegetation  of  the 
tropics. 

With  the  view  of  collecting  and  arranging  the  vast  fund  of 
knowledge,  the  scattered  gleanings  of  a  thousand  voyages,  I  was 
arduously  employed  during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1828;  having 
visited  Newport,  New  Bedford,  Nantucket,  and  many  other  places 
where  information  was  to  be  procured  respecting  the  Pacific 
Ocean  and  South  seas.  The  captains  of  whaleships  were  ready 
to  communicate  such  facts  as  they  had  treasured  up  or  recorded 
during  their  numerous  voyages,  and  the  owners  were  equally 
anxious  to  assist  me  in  furthering  the  objects  of  my  visits.  I 
interrogated  each  navigator  of  those  seas  who  chanced  to  be  in 
port,  with  his  log-books,  journals,  and  charts,  lying  before  him; 
and  the  topography  of  the  whole  range  of  seas  from  the  Pacific 
to  the  Indian  and  Chinese  Oceans,  with  the  nature  and  extent  of 
the  fisheries,  was  the  object  of  my  special  attention. 

The  information  I  obtained  was  drawn  from  purely  original 
sources.  Nothing  was  taken  at  second  hand.  Log-books  which 
had  been  thrown  aside  for  years,  were  overhauled  and  examined 
anew.  Many  facts  were  received  from  several  sources,  each 
independent  of  the  other;  and  by  this  coincidence,  the  truth  of 
the  statements  was  corroborated  and  confirmed.  The  whole  were 
concisely  and  systematically  arranged  under  appropriate  heads ; 
and  those  voyages  which  were  connected  with  a  train  of  remarka- 
ble incidents,  were  considered  with  much  attention,  and  taken 
down  from  the  mouths  of  those  present,  or  extracted  from  the 
original  journals. 

I  was  likewise  enabled  to  collect  much  information  from  those 
engaged  in  the  seal  trade.  The  occupation  of  these  men  leads 


ADDRESS.  33 

them  into  seas  far  remote  from  the  ordinary  track  of  the  whajer, 
and  their  adventures  are  of  the  most  daring  character.  In  ves- 
sels so  small  that  they  might  seem  unsafe  for  our  coasting  trade, 
or  the  navigation  of  rivers  and  inlets,  they  take  the  seal  from  the 
rocky  shores  of  Patagonia,  and  the  islands  around  Cape  Horn, 
girt  with  a  belt  of  perpetual  foam,  and  range  along  the  entire 
western  coast  of  South  America.  Nor  is  their  enterprise  con- 
fined within  these  bounds,  for  they  skirt  the  eastern  and  western 
shores  of  Africa,  circle  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  and,  penetrating 
far  into  the  Southern  Ocean,  have  in  some  instances  completed 
their  cargoes  close  on  the  limits  of  the  Antarctic  circle ! 

In  the  course  of  these  researches,  many  anecdotes  came  to  my 
knowledge,  strongly  illustrative  of  the  enterprise  and  success  of 
our  mariners.  One,  I  trust,  I  may  be  permitted  to  mention  in 
this  place,  since  it  shows  our  own  national  enterprise,  and  the 
liberality  of  Russia,  in  an  enviable  light;  and  exhibits  one  of 
those  many  acts  of  courtesy  and  kindly  feeling  which  have  been 
manifested  by  that  great  and  powerful  people. 

The  two  discovery  ships  sent  out  by  the  late  Emperor  Alexan- 
der, to  circumnavigate  the  globe,  were  becalmed  in  a  thick  fog 
between  the  South  Shetland  Islands  and  Palmer's  Land,  though 
much  nearer  the  latter ;  and  when  the  mist  cleared  up,  they  were 
astonished  at  beholding  a  small  vessel  of  about  fifty  tons  burden, 
between  the  two  ships,  which  immediately  ran  up  the  American 
flag.  The  Russian  commander  displayed  his  own  colours,  and 
despatched  a  boat  to  the  stranger  vessel,  with  an  invitation  to  the 
master  to  come  on  board,  which  was  accepted,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments he  stood  on  the  Russian's  deck.  "  What  islands  are  those 
in  sight?"  inquired  the  commodore.  "The  South  Shetlands," 
replied  the  captain;  "and  if  you  wish  to  visit  any  of  them  in 
particular,  it  will  afford  me  pleasure  to  be  your  pilot."  "  I  thank 
you,"  said  the  Russian  commander;  "but  previously  to  being 
enveloped  in  the  mist,  we  had  a  glimpse  of  them,  and  were  felici- 

5 


34  ADDRESS. 

tating  ourselves  upon  having  made  a  new  discovery,  when  lot 
the  fog  lifts  and  shows  an  American  vessel  alongside,  whose  mas 
ter  offers  to  pilot  me  into  port,  where  several  of  his  own  nation 
lie  at  anchor  !  We  must  surrender  the  palm  of  enterprise  to  you 
Americans,  and  content  ourselves  with  following  in  your  train." 
"  You  flatter  me,"  replied  the  captain  ;  "  but  there  is  an  immense 
extent  of  land  still  further  south ;  and  when  the  fog  is  entirely 
dissipated,  you  will  have  a  full  view  of  its  mountains  from  the 
masthead." 

"  Indeed,"  said  the  Russian ;  "  then  I  am  entirely  anticipated  in 
my  object,  and  I  behold  before  me  a  pattern  for  the  oldest  nation 
in  Europe ;  since  I  here  find  the  American  flag,  a  small  fleet,  and 
a  pilot,  instead  of  making  new  discoveries." 

After  treating  Captain  Palmer  in  the  most  friendly  manner,  the 
commander  of  the  expedition,  Stanjykowitsch,  was  so  much 
struck  with  the  circumstance,  that  he  named  the  coast  Palmer's 
Land,  and  it  bears  that  name  at  present  on  the  recent  Russian 
charts. 

It  was  in  company  with  this  same  Captain  Palmer,  during  my 
late  voyage  to  the  South  seas,  that  I  visited  the  whole  of  this 
extensive  group  of  islands  lying  north  of  the  coast  of  Palmer's 
Land,  the  extent  of  which  neither  we  nor  any  subsequent  naviga- 
tors have  as  yet  ascertained ;  though  a  British  vessel  touched  at  a 
single  spot  in  1831,  taking  from  it  the  American,  and  giving  it  an 
English  name ! 

To  return  from  our  digression,  the  report  above  referred  to  was 
drawn  up  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  (and  may  now  aid)  the  De- 
partment in  the  enumeration  of  the  objects  to  be  examined  by  the 
expedition;  and  it  remained  among  its  papers  in  a  manuscript 
form  until  the  last  session,  when  the  subject  was  again  renewed 
in  consequence  of  memorials  from  the  East  India  Marine  Society 
of  Salem,  and  many  other  citizens  interested  in  the  trade  of  the 
Pacific.  To  these  was  added  a  joint  resolution  of  both  houses 


ADDRESS.  35 

of  the  legislature  of  Rhode  Island ;  and  in  answer  to  a  call  of  the 
House,  it  was  communicated  by  the  Secretary,  and  appended  to 
the  report  of  Mr.  Pearce  of  the  Committee  on  Commerce,  made 
February  7th,  1835. 

To  that  report  and  the  accompanying  documents,*  we  would 
earnestly  call  the  attention  of  those  who  doubt  the  expediency  of 
the  measure  we  advocate.  There  they  will  see  fully  set  forth  the 
labour  to  be  performed  by  the  expedition,  and  behold  a  picture  of 
American  enterprise  unsurpassed  in  the  commercial  annals  of  any 
other  people. 

That  the  positions  of  the  islands,  as  laid  down  by  our  whale- 
men, are  determined  with  accuracy,  we  pretend  not  to  assert ; 
neither  do  these  adventurous  navigators  themselves  lay  claim  to 
any  such  exactness.  The  very  nature  of  their  pursuits  almost 
precludes  the  possibility  of  such  a  result;  their  primary  object 
being  to  take  whale,  and  not  to  make  discoveries.  When,  how- 
ever, we  reflect  on  the  disadvantages  under  which  they  labour ;  un- 
provided with  instruments  of  improved  construction ;  often  com- 
puting their  progress  by  the  run  of  the  log  alone,  without  allowance 
for  the  influence  of  currents,  the  force  and  direction  of  which  they 
do  not  stop  to  investigate ;  it  must  be  conceded  that  the  information 
they  have  imparted  is  more  correct  and  explicit  than  we  could 
reasonably  anticipate.  But  if  these  men  have  not  the  means  and 
opportunity  of  noting  with  precision  the  geographical  position  of 
their  discoveries,  it  is  still  less  within  their  power  to  ascertain  the 
capacity,  resources,  and  productions,  of  the  new  lands.  Whale- 
ships,  lost  in  the  process  of  examining  a  group  of  islands  or  a 
reef,  forfeit  their  insurance.  Even  were  this  otherwise,  time 
cannot  be  spared  for  such  a  survey ;  and  thus  a  brief  note  in  a 
vessel's  log-book  is  frequently  the  only  recorded  notice  of  a  dan- 
gerous reef,  or  a  new  archipelago.  It  is  impossible,  however,  to 


36  ADDRESS. 

examine  the  reports  of  our  South  Sea  whaling  captains,  without 
feeling  the  value  of  that  mighty  mass  of  rude  materials  with 
which  they  have  furnished  us.  To  have  those  materials  carefully 
analyzed,  and  a  work  upon  which  confident  reliance  can  be  placed 
prepared  for  future  use,  is  the  bounden  duty  of  government.  The 
prosecution  of  these  objects  will  constitute  an  important  part  of 
the  labours  of  the  expedition — labours  which  ought  not,  in  jus- 
tice, to  have  been  delayed  till  now.  Perhaps  the  silent  and 
unobtrusive  manner  in  which  our  great  ocean  concerns  are  carried 
on,  may  in  some  measure  account  for,  if  they  cannot  justify,  the 
negligence  of  our  government,  in  not  watching  with  a  more  vigi- 
lant eye  the  interests  of  our  civil  marine,  and  protecting  it  more 
effectually  by  the  strong  arm  of  naval  power.  I  put  the  question 
to  every  liberal-minded,  intelligent  individual,  within  these  walls  : 
is  it  honourable,  is  it  politic  or  wise — waiving  the  considerations 
of  humanity  and  duty — to  look  supinely  on,  while  our  citizens 
are  exposed  to  shipwreck  in  seas,  on  coasts,  and  among  islands, 
of  which  they  possess  no  charts  capable  of  guiding  them  aright, 
and  to  suffer  them  to  be  massacred  by  savages,  for  lack  of  such  a 
judicious  exhibition  of  maritime  strength  as  would  command 
respect  by  showing  the  ability  to  enforce  it  ?  And  yet  such  is  the 
situation  of  our  commerce  in  many  parts  of  the  world.  Does 
any  one  doubt  the  assertion  ?  How  was  it,  let  us  inquire,  a  few 
years  ago,  when  news  arrived  of  the  capture  of  the  Friendship, 
and  the  savage  slaughter  of  a  portion  of  her  crew,  on  the  coast  of 
Sumatra  ?  It  is  true  the  action  of  the  Executive  was,  as  it  ever 
should  be  in  similar  emergencies,  prompt  and  decided.  The 
bows  of  the  Potomac  were  turned  toward  the  scene  of  insult  and 
bloodshed,  with  an  alacrity  that  showed  in  the  Department  no 
want  of  zeal  to  do  whatever  the  national  interest  or  honour 
required,  no  matter  where  the  duty  was  to  be  performed.  But 
had  we  the  requisite  topographical  knowledge  to  direct  the  enter 
prise?  No  one,  we  presume,  will  venture  such  an  assertion. 


ADDRESS.  37 

The  Naval  Board  had  not  within  its  control  a  chart  of  the  coast 
against  which  it  was  sending  a  heavy  armament.  The  com- 
mander of  the  noble  frigate  had  to  rely  mainly  on  the  information 
he  might  gather  on  his  way  out ;  and  when  on  the  spot,  accord- 
ing to  the  best  charts  he  could  procure  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
he  found  the  position  of  the  frigate  high  upon  the  interior  moun- 
tains of  Sumatra,  before  he  was  within  anchoring  distance  of  its 
shore !  Of  the  inhabitants,  form  of  government,  or  its  respon- 
sibility, nothing  was  known  upon  which  definite  instructions  could 
be  grounded ;  so  that,  as  regarded  the  mode  of  seeking  repa- 
ration, the  commodore  had  no  other  aid  than  his  own  sagacity, 
and  the  few  dim  lights  which  the  Department  had  the  power  to 
bestow.  And  where  is  this  country  of  which  we  knew  so  little  ? 
Is  it  in  some  obscure,  rarely  visited  corner  of  the  globe  ?  No. 
We  are  speaking,  be  it  recollected,  of  the  island  of  Sumatra,  one 
of 'the  largest  of  the  Sunda  Isles  ;  of  its  coast  at  Quallah  Battoo, 
where  our  vessels  have  carried  on  a  considerable  trade  in  pepper 
for  the  last  thirty  years,  and  where  the  nations  of  Europe  prose- 
cuted a  lucrative  traffic  centuries  before  the  commencement  of 
that  period.  At  the  beginning  of  the  present  era,  we  had  no  less 
than  thirty  vessels  in  that  quarter  during  a  single  season.  The 
English  and  Dutch  have  yielded  their  cherished  monopolies  into 
the  hands  of  our  keen  and  far  sighted  merchants ;  in  a  word,  the 
direct  and  indirect  traffic  with  the  Sunda  Isles  forms  no  inconside- 
rable item  in  the  sum  of  our  commercial  prosperity ;  and  yet  how 
little  information  did  we  not  long  ago  possess,  of  the  particulars 
most  essential  to  a  safe  intercourse  with  these  semi  barbarous 
inhabitants ! 

Nor  is  this  the  only  region  of  importance,  commercially,  with 
regard  to  which  our  ignorance  is  shamefully  apparent.  The 
report  before  us  offers  evidence  of  a  thousand  similar  instances  at 
a  single  view.  The  Fegee  Islands  are  a  case  in  point.  Where  are 
they  ?  What  knowledge  have  we  of  their  character  and  extent? 


38  ADDRESS. 

We  answer  in  the  language  of  the  memorial  of  the  East  India 
Marine  Society  of  Salem,  Massachusetts ;  and  if  long  practical 
acquaintance  with  those  seas  give  weight  to  opinions  expressed 
with  relation  to  them,  then  is  the  extract  we  are. about  to  quote 
entitled  to  your  respectful  consideration : 

"  Without  attempting  to  designate  the  groups  or  islands  most 
important  to  be  examined,  your  memorialists  would  simply  call 
the  attention  of  your  honourable  body  to  one  point,  which  may 
serve  as  an  index  to  the  rest: — the  Fegee  or  Betee  Islands. 
What  is  known  of  them  ?  They  were  named,  but  not  visited,  by 
Captain  Cook,  and  consist  of  sixty  or  more  in  number.  Where 
shall  we  find  charts  of  this  group,  pointing  out  its  harbours  and 
dangers  ?  There  are  none  to  be  found,  for  none  exist.  And  yet 
have  we  no  trade  there  ?  We  speak  not  for  others,  but  for 
ourselves. 

"  From  this  port  the  following  vessels  have  been,  or  now  are, 
employed  in  procuring  beche~le-?ner  and  shells,  at  the  Fegee 
Islands,  in  exchange  for  which  eastern  cargoes  are  brought  into 
our  country,  and  thus  contributing  no  inconsiderable  amount  to 
our  national  revenue :  ship  Clay,  brig  Quill,  have  returned ;  brig 
Fame,  lost  at  the  islands ;  ship  Glide,  also  lost ;  and  bark  Peru, 
greatly  damaged,  and  in  consequence  condemned  at  Manilla ;  brig 
Spy,  damaged,  but  repaired  again ;  brig  Charles  Daggett,  bark 
Pallas,  brig  Edwin,  ship  Eliza,  ship  Emerald,  ship  Augustus,  and 
brig  Consul.  The  Charles  Daggett  has  recently  returned,  in  con- 
sequence of  having  a  portion  of  her  crew  massacred  by  the 
natives.  The  ship  Oeno,  of  Nantucket,  was  lost  on  one  of  these 
islands,  and  her  officers  and  crew,  consisting  of  twenty-four  in 
number,  were  all  massacred  in  like  manner,  except  one. 

"  Thus,  it  must  appear  to  your  honourable  body,  that  the  losses 
sustained  at  this  single  point — to  say  nothing  of  the  value  of 
human  life,  which  is  above  all  value— would  not  fall  far  short,  if 
any,  of  the  amount  necessary  to  fit  out  an  expedition  for  the  better 


ADDRESS.  39 

examination  of  such  points  in  the  Pacific  ocean  and  South  seas, 
as  require  the  attention  of  government." 

Numerous  other  groups  of  islands,  of  more  or  less  importance, 
might  be  noticed  in  like  manner,  were  it  deemed  necessary,  and 
did  time  permit.  Those,  if  such  there  be,  whose  doubts  are  yet 
unremoved,  or  who  wish  for  more  detailed  information,  can  have 
recourse  to  the  documents  already  in  possession  of  the  members 
of  this  House,  and  which  abundantly  set  forth  "  what  remains  for 
us  to  do." 

Allow  me,  in  like  manner,  to  invite  your  special  attention  to  the 
elaborate  report*  made  by  the  Committee  on  Commerce,  during 
the  last  session,  several  thousand  copies  of  which  were  printed 
and  distributed  throughout  the  country.  It  concludes  as  follows  : 

"The  Committee,  having  thus  fully  presented  the  views  and 
wishes  of  the  memorialists,  and  noted  the  legislative  action  hith- 
erto had  upon  the  subject,  deem  it  unnecessary  to  go  into  any 
prolonged  arguments  in  the  conclusion  of  their  report. 

"Other  nations  have  deemed  it  wise  to  protect  their  fisheries, 
at  all  hazards,  and  by  heavy  expenditures.  Some  have  sent  out 
voyages  of  discovery,  that  had  little  or  no  commerce  to  be  bene- 
fited. Previous  to  the  year  1770,  the  English,  in  their  strenuous 
efforts  to  compete  with  the  Dutch  in  the  northern  whale  fishery, 
had  paid  in  bounties  not  less  than  three  millions  of  dollars ;  and 
down  to  the  year  1786,  the  aggregate  amount  of  bounty  paid  was 
not  less  than  six  millions  three  hundred  and  thirty  thousand 
dollars. 

"  The  American  fishermen  have  received  no  bounty,  and  they 
are  now  pursuing  their  avocation  in  seas  beyond  the  reach  of 
ordinary  protection.  That  places  of  refreshment  may  be  ex- 
amined,  new  channels  of  trade  opened,  and  dangers  pointed  out, 
seems  not  only  reasonable  and  just,  but  called  for  by  considera- 


40  ADDRESS. 

tions  of  public  interest ;  and  it  is  believed  that  this  can  be  best 
accomplished  by  sending  out  vessels  expressly  provided  for  this 
duty ;  while  the  demand  on  the  public  treasury  will  be  small, 
compared  with  the  good  which  may  be  accomplished. 

"  The  late  British  expeditions  for  the  discovery  of  a  northwest 
passage,  undertaken  for  scientific  purposes,  at  great  expense, 
nevertheless  richly  repaid  the  British  nation  for  her  expenditure, 
by  transferring  the  whale  fishery  from  East  to  West  Greenland. 

"In  like  manner,  in  addition  to  the  specific  objects  to  be 
attained  by  an  expedition,  many  collateral  advantages  may  be 
secured  to  the  whaler  and  trafficker  in  the  Pacific,  and  the  sealer 
in  the  higher  latitudes  south. 

"While  your  Committee,  in  coming  to  their  conclusion  in 
favour  of  recommending  an  expedition  such  as  has  been  prayed 
for  by  the  memorialists,  have  been  influenced  solely  by  commer- 
cial views,  and  place  the  policy  of  the  measure  solely  on  these 
grounds,  they  are  not  indifferent  to  the  valuable  fund  of  knowledge 
which  may  be  gathered  during  the  voyage ;  and  which,  properly 
analyzed  and  written  out,  may  be  interesting,  not  only  to  the 
American  people,  but  to  the  whole  civilized  world." 

What  can  be  more  liberal  and  decisive  than  the  views  and 
language  of  this  report  ?  There  are  no  half-way  measures  and 
time-serving  policy  in  it.  And  yet,  enlightened  and  statesmanlike 
as  it  is,  the  subject  was  not,  even  at  that  time,  before  the  Com- 
mittee  in  all  the  strength  in  which  it  is  capable  of  being  portrayed. 
For  since  the  report  which  put  into  the  hands  of  the  Department 
a  more  minute  and  accurate  description  of  these  seas  than  is 
possessed  by  the  admiralty  of  any  other  nation,  additional  and 
important  acquisitions  have  been  made. 

During  our  sojourn  in  the  South  seas,  and  more  especially 
while  in  the  Pacific,  connected  with  our  public  service,  we  had 
frequent  opportunities  of  seeing  many  of  our  whalers,  and  of 
learning  from  their  own  mouths  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  dan- 


ADDRESS.  .         41 

gers  they  had  to  encounter.  From  them  we  learned  the  position 
of  numerous  islands  recently  discovered  by  them,  and  not  yet 
embodied  in  any  report. 

These  are  discoveries  which  make  little  or  no  noise  in  the 
world ;  there  is  no  long  story,  no  spirit-stirring  incident,  no 
romance,  attached  to  them ;  there  is  but  a  rock,  a  coral  reef,  or 
an  island  more  in  the  midst  of  an  ocean,  where  thousands  already 
exist ;  and  yet  he  who  points  out  a  rock,  a  reef,  or  an  island,  un- 
known before,  is  a  benefactor  to  the  human  race.  Nor  is  he 
less  entitled  to  the  appellation,  who,  after  a  careful  examination, 
is  enabled  to  decide  that  a  rock,  an  island,  a  reef,  or  a  shoal,  is 
either  misplaced  on  the  chart,  or  has  no  existence.  An  insulated 
rock  in  the  midst  of  the  waste  of  waters,  may,  while  its  position 
continues  unascertained,  prove  the  cause  of  the  most  intense 
misery ;  and  families  deprived  of  parents  and  children,  and  mer- 
chants reduced  from  affluence  to  unaccustomed  poverty,  may 
ascribe  their  calamities  to  that  hardly  visible  speck,  mantled  with 
rolling  waves,  and  half  hid  with  the  foam  of  the  tumbling  breakers. 
Let  those  exult  in  their  prosperity  who  are  carried  on  joyously 
before  its  gales,  and  have  not  tasted  of  the  bitter  reverses  which 
attend  upon  those  who  "  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships."  The  lesson 
of  experience  they  have  not  learned,  and  would  they  never  may  ; 
but  they  are  from  this  very  fact,  to  a  certain  degree,  incapacitated 
from  forming  a  just  estimate  of  the  importance  of  results  such  as 
we  would  accomplish.  But  if  any  heart- stricken  parent  or  ruined 
merchant  were  to  determine  upon  the  subject  now  before  you,  how 
decisive  would  be  his  reply,  and  how  soon  would  this  expedition 
depart  upon  its  errand  of  philanthropy  ! 

In  visiting  that  part  of  the  ocean  surrounded  by  the  Society 
Islands,  New  Caledonia,  and  Solomon's  Islands — indeed,  the 
whole  of  that  extensive  tract  embraced  under  the  name  of  Ocean- 
ica — we  find  the  mariner  in  constant  danger  of  striking  his  keel 
against  some  point  of  coral  rock,  shooting  perpendicularly  upward 

6 


42  ADDRESS. 

from  an  immense  depth,  and  presenting,  in  every  part,  the  germs 
of  a  new  world,  "or  the  magnificent  fragments  of  an  old  one." 

There  the  amplest  fields  for  commercial  activity  have  been 
opened,  and  are  every  day  extending  yet  more  widely,  in  the 
search  after  numerous  productions  of  those  remote  regions,  many 
of  which  have  become  articles  of  great  value  in  the  interchange  of 
commerce ;  yet,  there  the  madrepore,  or  coral  insect,  is  very  busy 
in  rearing  its  vast  superstructure  to  the  surface;  and  the  dark 
volcano,  bursting  from  the  depths  of  the  sea,  pours  its  broken 
fragments  and  molten  lava  above  the  level  of  the  waters,  and,  by 
the  decomposition  of  its  surface,  is  rapidly  converted  into  an  island. 

Over  this  vast  sweep  of  ocean,  speckled  with  more  than  a  thou- 
sand islands,  whose  position  requires  to  be  marked  more  accurately 
on  the  charts,  and  one-half  of  that  number  not  to  be  found  on  the 
charts  at  all,  there  are  many  groups  inhabited  by  every  variety  of 
savage  man.  Around  these,  we  have  at  this  moment  two  hundred 
ships  engaged  in  the  whale  fishery  alone,  measuring  more  than 
eighty  thousand  tons,  whose  cargoes,  without  taking  into  calcula- 
tion the  cost  of  the  vessels  and  outfits,  are  at  least  two  hundred 
thousand  barrels  of  sperm  oil,  worth  not  less  than  six  millions  of 
dollars.  I  mean  not,  in  this  statement,  to  include  the  vessels  on 
the  way  out  with  those  at  home,  nor  the  tonnage  dependant  on  the 
trade ;  but  those  known  at  this  moment  to  be  afloat  in  those  distant 
seas. 

But  this  statement  gives  only  a  defective  view  of  our  inter- 
ests connected  with  the  fisheries  in  those  seas.  Let  us  for  a 
moment  take  a  concise  but  comprehensive  view  of  what  those 
interests  are.  In  doing  this,  we  shall  not  speak  of  the  capital 
and  tonnage  employed,  and  profitably  employed  too,  among  the 
islands,  in  that  multifarious  traffic,  grown  up  within  a  few  years 
past,  and  constantly  extending.  In  the  first  place,  the  vessels 
employed:  they  are  from  various  ports  of  the  United  States,  as 
follows: — 


ADDRESS. 


43 


Ports.  Vessels. 

New  Bedford 154 

Nantucket 71 

Lynn 5 

Gloucester 1 

Portsmouth 4 

Warren 1£ 

Providence 2 

Mystic 3 

Green  Port 3 

Hudson 11 

Newark,N.J. 1 

West  Port 3 

Fairhaven   .     .     , 31 

Rochester 4 

Falmouth 4 

Fall  River 3 

Dorchester 4 

Newburyport 4 

Portland  .    .       1 


Ports.  Vessels. 

Bristol 17 

New  London 29 

Norwich 1 

New  York 6 

Newburgh 3 

Wilmington,  Del 3 

Dartmouth 4 

Wareham 1 

Edgarton 8 

Plymouth 4 

Salem 9 

Provincetown 1 

Wiscasset  .........       1 

Newport 9 

Stonington 3 

Sag  Harbour    .     .......  24 

Poughkeepsie      .......      4 

Bridgeport 2 


This  immense  fleet  of  four  hundred  and  sixty  sail,  from  forty 
distinct  ports,  scattered  along  the  seaboard  of  seven  different 
states,  will  average  about  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  tons 
each ;  making,  in  all,  one  hundred  and  seventy-two  thousand  tons 
of  shipping — nearly  one-tenth  the  whole  tonnage  of  the  United 
States. 

The  cost  of  these  vessels  may  be  put  down  from  twenty  to  sixty 
thousand  dollars  each — say,  on  an  average,  forty  thousand;  which 
requires  the  employment  of  an  active  capital  of  eighteen  million 
four  hundred  thousand  dollars  ! 

The  exports  of  our  fisheries  were,  during  the  past  year,  in  whale 
and  fish  oil,  seven  hundred  and  seventy-three  thousand  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty-six  dollars ;  in  spermaceti,  fifty-two  thousand  five 
hundred  and  thirty-one  dollars ;  in  whalebone,  fifty-five  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  fifty-four  dollars ;  in  spermaceti  candles,  two 
hundred  and  eighty-four  thousand  and  nineteen  dollars :  making, 
in  all,  one  million  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  ninety  dollars.  Thus,  not  only  supplying  the  home 
market,  but  deriving  from  other  nations  an  annual  tribute  in  reward 
of  our  own  industry  and  far-reaching  enterprise  ! 

If  we  add  to  the  above  the  capital  and  tonnage  employed  in  the 
transportation  of  oil  to  Europe,  in  return  cargoes,  and  in  the  coast 


44  ADDRESS. 

ing  trade,  with  the  property  immediately  connected  with  this 
business,  the  aggregate  may  be  safely  put  down  at  two  hundred 
thousand  tons  of  shipping,  and  the  capital  directly  and  indirectly 
dependant  on  it  at  sixty  millions  of  dollars  !  the  annual  gross 
income  from  five  to  six  millions;  and  the  number  of  seamen 
employed  twelve  thousand.  There  is  no  branch  of  business  more 
important  to  a  nation  than  such  an  investment  of  its  capital.  It  is 
not  the  doubtful  profit  derived  from  the  interchange  of  commerce, 
but  treasure  gleaned  from  the  ocean.  The  fisheries,  and  their 
necessary  accompaniment,  ship  building,  have  been  the  cradle  of 
our  naval  marine  from  its  earliest  infancy ;  and  they  will  continue 
to  be  so,  even  to  the  end.  On  the  numbers  and  hardihood  of  the 
one,  will  depend,  in  no  small  degree,  the  efficiency  of  the  other. 
England  has  experienced  this  for  the  last  hundred  and  fifty  years ; 
other  nations  have  been  aware  of  it  also,  and  have  done  all  in  their 
power  to  cherish  and  build  up  their  fisheries.  Ours,  though  twice 
swept  from  the  ocean,  have  grown  up  in  despite  of  our  neglect. 

Truly  has  it  been  said,  that  our  great  battle  on  the  ocean  has  vet 
to  be  fought.  Come  when  it  may,  and  come  it  will,  our  fisher- 
men will  participate  largely  in  it.  The  history  of  the  past  is  an 
earnest  of  the  future.  From  our  colonial  days  to  the  present  time, 
in  every  ocean  conflict  they  have  borne  a  double  share,  in  propor- 
tion to  their  numbers,  over  every  other  class  of  our  seamen.  They 
are  "  precisely  such  men  as  the  nation  requires  for  times  of  trial 
and  struggle."  You  cannot  do  without  them.  Soldiers  may  be 
trained  in  a  day ;  sailors  must  be  children  of  the  sea.  You  may 
fortify  our  coast,  plant  heavy  ordnance  at  points  most  exposed ;  but 
you  will  find  no  enemy  so  rash  as  to  attempt  invasion,  who  has 
not,  in  the  first  instance,  become  master  of  our  seaboard.  Twelve 
thousand  men,  accustomed  to  grapple  with  the  mightiest  monsters 
of  the  deep,  inured  to  hardship  and  the  vicissitudes  of  every  clime, 
called  by  the  exigencies  of  their  country  to  the  defence  of  its  flag, 
on  board  our  men  of  war,  would  of  themselves  form  no  inconsider- 


ADDRESS. 


45 


able  fleet ;  and  terrible  must  be  the  struggle,  and  crimsoned  the 
ocean  with  blood,  before  a  hostile  keel  could  pass  this  floating, 
breathing  rampart  of  iron  muscles  and  stout  hearts,  and  gain 
possession  of  our  shores  ! 

No  enlightened  statesman,  therefore,  can  regard  with  indiffer- 
ence, or  as  local  in  its  character,  a  branch  of  industry  which  adds 
so  much  to  the  wealth  of  the  nation,  calls  into  existence,  and  gives 
employment  to  so  many  effective  seamen.  No  true  patriot,  who 
has  a  mind  to  encompass  the  great  objects  of  government,  can 
withhold  whatever  of  aid  and  protection  the  peculiar  exigencies 
this  important  interest  may  require. 

But  let  us  descend  from  this  high  and  patriotic  view,  and  see 
what  kind  of  plea  can  be  made  solely  on  the  score  of  interest. 
From  data  entitled  to  full  belief,  it  has  been  ascertained  that  every 
time  our  immense  whale  fleet  puts  to  sea,  there  is  required  for 
victualling  and  outfit :  flour,  eighty  thousand  and  forty  barrels ; 
pork  and  beef,  seventy-nine  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty 
barrels ;  molasses,  six  hundred  and  twenty-one  thousand  gallons ; 
coffee,  five  hundred  and  fifty-two  thousand  six  hundred  pounds ; 
sugar,  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  thousand  eight  hundred  pounds ; 
tea,  one  hundred  and  seventy-two  thousand  five  hundred  pounds ; 
rice,  one  thousand  three  hundred  tierces  ;  duck,  forty-six  thousand 
four  hundred  and  sixty  pieces ;  cordage,  eight  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  sixty  tons  ;  iron  hoops,  four  thousand  six  hundred  tons ; 
copper,  five  hundred  and  fifty-two  thousand  sheets ;  (vessels  cop- 
pered every  voyage ;)  staves,  ten  million ;  whaling  gear,  consisting 
of  harpoons,  spades,  cabooses,  &c.,  one  thousand  dollars  to  each 
vessel,  four  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  dollars. 


Flour barrels  80,040 

Pork  and  beef      .    .    .barrels  79,120 

Molasses gallons  621,000 

Coffee pounds  552,600 

Sugar pounds  256,800 

Tea pounds  172,500 

Rice tierces  1,300 


Duck  (sail  cloth)  .    .    pieces  46,460 

Cordage tons  8,960 

Iron  hoops  ....    tons  4,600 

Copper sheets  552,000 

Staves 10000,000 

Whaling  gear,  harpoons,  &c., 

value  in  dollars     ....     460,000 


46  ADDRESS. 

Besides  all  these,  large  quantities  of  beans,  corn,  peas,  potatoes, 
&c.  are  required  in  outfits. 

Now,  to  what  conclusion  are  we  led  by  all  these  results  ?  That 
the  whale  fishery  is  a  local  interest,  carried  on  for  the  benefit  of  an 
exclusive  few?  Far  from  it.  These  fisheries  reach  the  interest 
of  every  class  of  citizens  in  our  country ;  their  prosperity  or  adver- 
sity becomes  that  of  our  whole  people.  The  owners  of  woodland, 
the  axemen,  the  teamsters,  the  ship  carpenters,  coppersmith,  black- 
smith, manufacturers  of  cotton,  rope  makers,  riggers,  sail  makers, 
cultivators  of  hemp,  as  well  as  the  grazier  and  agriculturist — all 
have  an  interest  in  this  branch  of  national  enterprise.  Besides,  it 
is  the  safest  ocean  business  that  can  be  pursued;  for  it  brings 
home  no  new  diseases  to  destroy  our  population,  no  vices  con- 
tracted in  old  and  corrupt  communities  to  poison  our  morals  ! 

Surely,  then,  it  is  the  bounden  duty  of  the  government  to  afford 
every  facility  to  the  merchant  in  these  commercial  enterprises,  and 
to  furnish  him  with  adequate  protection.  This  is  a  course  dictated 
not  only  by  a  sound  policy,  but  by  every  motive  of  humanity.  The 
oft  told  stones  of  mariners  shipwrecked  in  the  South  Seas  are  no 
fictions.  Would  to  Heaven  that  they  were  !  To  enter  into  par- 
ticulars of  these  disasters,  would  serve  only  to  weaken  the  picture, 
since  our  limits  will  not  allow  of  extended  details  ;  yet  it  is  hoped 
that  a  few  facts,  briefly  stated,  will  not  be  without  weight,  when 
considered  in  connexion  with  this  subject. 

The  ship  Oldham  was  taken  by  the  natives  of  Wallis's  Island, 
and  her  crew  murdered.  Previous  to  this,  the  American  brig 
Chinchilla,  engaged  in  taking  biche-le-mer  at  the  same  place, 
experienced  the  same  fate. 

The  ship  Oeno,  of  Nantucket,  was  lost  among  the  Feejee 
Islands,  and  the  entire  crew  were  supposed  to  have  been  put  to 
death.  One,  however,  the  cooper  of  the  vessel,  escaped,  and 
returned  by  a  subsequent  vessel  to  the  United  States.  Since  his 
arrival,  intelligence  has  been  received,  which  leaves  no  doubt  that 


ADDRESS.  47 

a  youth  by  the  name  of  Swain  is  still  alive  on  one  of  these  islands. 
This  information  was  derived  from  an  English  barque,  which 
touched  at  that  group  in  1830.  The  lad  came  on  board,  in  com- 
pany with  several  chiefs,  and  represented  himself  to  be  the  young- 
est of  the  Oeno's  crew,  and  the  brother  of  her  captain.  The 
English  captain  made  every  effort  to  procure  his  release,  but  could 
not  prevail  upon  the  natives  to  give  him  up,  or  allow"  him  to 
depart ;  while  their  numbers  prevented  his  recapture  by  forcible 
means.  The  truth  of  this  statement  may  be  relied  on ;  I  received 
it  from  a  brother  of  the  exile  boy. 

There  has  been  a  recent  and  most  distressing  murder  at  the 
Feejee  Islands ;  the  intelligence  has  been  brought  by  the  ship 
Cyrus,  lately  arrived  at  Edgarton.  Three  of  the  victims,  the 
captain  and  two  mates,  had  families  at  that  place.  The  exact  time 
when  the  horrid  transaction  was  committed  is  not  known.  The 
ship  had  arrived  at  Oahu,  in  charge  of  the  third  mate,  the  only 
surviving  officer,  a  young  man  about  eighteen  years  of  age.  It 
appears  the  "Awaskonks,"*  the  name  of  the  vessel,  while  in  the 


*  Among  the  survivors  of  the  massacre  on  board  ship  Awaskonks,  who  have  at 
length  reached  home,  is  Daniel  W.  Wood,  of  this  place,  a  young  man  scarcely  out  of 
his  minority,  the  son  of  a  worthy,  afflicted,  and  infirm  widow,  whose  reliance  on  his 
success  in  life  was  among  her  few  remaining  hopes.  His  sufferings  from  the  terrible 
injuries  inflicted  by  the  savages  at  Baring's  Island,  no  language  can  describe.  He 
bears  upon  his  person  the  indelible  scars  of  five  or  six  horrible  wounds  made  by  whale 
spades — weapons  more  formidable,  and  of  keener  edge,  than  perhaps  were  ever  before 
employed  by  man  against  his  fellows.  These  instruments,  intended  only  for  cutting 
and  slicing  the  outer  portions  of  the  carcasses  of  whales,  are  of  necessity  extremely 
sharp  at  the  anterior  edge ;  the  blade  resembling  that  of  a  shingling  hatchet,  and  termi- 
nating in  an  iron  shaft  and  socket,  into  which  is  inserted  a  long  and  stout  wooden 
handle.  With  such  weapons,  the  reader  may  imagine,  even  if  unacquainted  with  their 
structure,  what  mischief  and  atrocities  may  be  perpetrated,  when  in  the  strong  hands 
of  lawless,  perfidious,  and  incensed  barbarians. 

The  principal  wound  of  the  sufferer  is  not  yet  healed.  It  is  across  his  back,  eleven 
inches  in  length,  and  three  in  breadth,  extending  to  the  left  scapula,  a  part  of  which 
was  cut  off  by  the  spade,  and  has  since  fallen  out.  The  arm,  on  that  side,  is  partially 
deprived  of  its  functions.  This  wound,  which  compelled  him  to  lie  on  his  face  nearly 
three  months  before  his  arrival  at  Oahu,  exhibited  unequivocal  symptoms  of  mortifica 


48  ADDRESS. 

vicinity  of  the  Feejee  Islands,  ran  in  near  shore ;  when  a  large 
number  of  the  natives  came  on  board,  in  the  most  friendly  man- 
ner, bringing  bread-fruit  and  yams,  which  they  presented  to  the 
captain  and  officers.  They  evinced  great  curiosity  to  examine  and 
understand  every  thing  they  saw,  particularly  the  harpoons,  lances, 
and  spades,  in  the  boats  ;  and,  without  the  least  suspicion  of  their 
evil  intentions,  Captain  Coffin  took  these  instruments  out  of  one  of 
the  quarter-boats,  and  showed  the  chief  who  came  on  board  the 
manner  in  which  they  were  used  in  killing  whales.  While  he  was 
employed  in  doing  this,  he  had  occasion  to  step  forward  a  moment : 
the  instant  his  face  was  turned,  a  savage,  who  had  a  boat-spade  in 
his  hand,  aimed  a  fatal  blow  at  the  unfortunate  man,  which  severed 
his  head  from  his  body.  A  general  rush  was  now  made  by  the 
savages  to  overcome  the  crew ;  some  of  whom  fled  below,  others 
aloft,  and  a  part  prepared  to  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible. 
The  mate,  after  a  desperate  struggle,  wrested  the  spade  from  the 
native  who  had  killed  the  captain,  and  laid  him  dead  on  the  deck ; 
he  then  went  below  for  a  moment,  but  returned  on  deck,  and 
fought  until  overpowered  by  numbers  and  killed.  The  second 
mate  jumped  overboard,  and  was  killed  in  the  water.  A  number 
of  the  crew  fled  aloft,  to  escape  instant  death.  Mr.  Jones,  the 
third  mate,  after  a  severe  struggle  with  the  savages  for  the  posses- 
sion of  a  spade,  was  forced  aft,  and,  seeing  no  other  resource, 
dropped  his  hold  ;  he  being  then  the  only  white  man  to  be  seen  on 
deck.  Without  arms,  nothing  could  be  done ;  and  they  were  all 
in  the  after-cabin,  the  entrance  to  which  was  guarded  by  half  a 


tion ;  and  his  messmates,  anxious  to  preserve  his  life,  burnt  out  the  flesh  by  means  of 
heated  marline-spikes !  and  it  is  yet  exceedingly  problematical  whether  even  an  imper- 
fect recovery  may  be  ultimately  accomplished.  We  have  mentioned  these  particulars, 
because  a  private  subscription  has  been  voluntarily  started  by  some  benevolent  indi- 
viduals ;  and  we  know  that  an  object  so  truly  deserving  of  commiseration  cannot  be 
neglected  in  this  community.  If  we  cannot  restore  that  which  is  lost,  or  even  alleviate 
present  miseries,  we  can  at  least  make  the  attempt,  and  thereby  evince  o  tr  sympathy. 
— Nantucket  Enquirer. 


ADDRESS.  49 

dozen  stout  natives,  rendering  any  attempt  to  force  it  hopeless. 
He  saw  that  the  ship  was  completely  abandoned  to  the  savages, 
and  the  lives  of  the  surviving  portion  of  the  crew  entirely  at  their 
mercy.  Desperate  as  his  situation  seemed  to  be,  he  resolved,  if 
fall  he  must,  not  to  do  so  without  an  eifort  to  save  himself  and  the 
vessel. 

The  only  way  to  reach  the  cabin  and  obtain  arms,  was  by 
passing  down  the  main  hatch,  and  removing  a  quantity  of  barrels, 
staves,  and  promiscuous  lumber,  which  was  closely  stowed 
throughout  the  whole  distance.  This  labour,  under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances, would  have  required  hours  ;  but  it  was  the  last  resort. 
His  plan  was  formed  on  the  instant.  Dropping  his  spade,  he 
sprang  over  and  through  the  astonished  savages,  with  an  impetu- 
osity not  to  be  resisted,  secured  his  way  to  the  hatch.  True 
to  his  purpose,  he  leaped  down,  and  commenced  cutting  his 
way  through  to  the  cabin.  His  mental  energies  must  have  added 
greatly  to  his  strength.  The  work  was  accomplished  in  a  very 
short  space  of  time ;  when,  having  removed  and  staved  barrels 
and  boxes,  he  pushed  aside  all  obstacles,  and  entered  the  steerage, 
or  forward  cabin.  Here  was  a  man  who  had  been  for  several 
weeks  confined  by  sickness.  Mr.  Jones  seized  his  own, pistols, 
and  placed  'them  in  the  hands  of  the  invalid,  directing  him  to 
guard  the  gangway  while  he  stove  a  hole  through  the  cabin  door, 
which  was  locked,  large  enough  to  admit  him,  and  secured  the 
guns.  Here  he  was  detained  in  collecting  ammunition,  fixing 
flints,  and  loading.  He  soon  prepared  himself :  his  first  shot  up 
the  gangway  took  effect,  and  the  song  of  victory,  which  the  sav 
ages  had  begun,  was  changed  into  a  sound  of  wailing.  The  report 
of  the  gun  to  those  concealed,  and  the  fall  of  an  enemy  to  those 
aloft,  appeared  like  a  call  to  the  rescue.  Jones  continued  to  load 
and  fire  as  quickly  as  possible ;  and  his  shots,  though  many  of 
them  at  random,  did  much  execution,  especially  in  the  canoes. 

which,  as  they  approached  the  stern,  were  exposed  to  his  fire  from 
C  7 


50  ADDRESS. 

the  cabin  windows.  The  men  aloft  now  succeeded  in  setting  the 
after  sails,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the  vessel's  head  off  shore. 
There  being  no  man  at  the  helm,  and  the  savages  masters  of  the 
deck,  a  sailor  came  down  from  the  fore-top,  loosed  the  flying  jib, 
and  hoisted  the  sail ;  while  the  rest  braced  the  fore-yards  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  gain  some  headway  from  the  land.  Some  of  the 
seamen,  who  had  concealed  themselves,  discovered  the  mate's 
track  to  the  cabin ;  and  six  of  them  were  occupied  in  loading  the 
guns,  and  passing  them  to  him. 

One  man,  who  actually  leaped  from  the  main  shrouds,  over  the 
heads  of  the  enemy,  into  the  hatches,  was  severely  wounded  in  his 
descent;  and  again,  after  obtaining  a  gun,  from  occupying  too 
exposed  a  situation.  After  receiving  the  last  hurt,  he  staggered 
back,  saying,  "  Mr.  Jones,  I  have  lost  my  leg  !"  The  mate  bound 
up  the  limb,  and  he  sat  loading  and  passing  muskets  during  the 
remainder  of  the  conflict.  A  man  was  heard  at  the  wheel,  who,  it 
appeared,  was  the  chief.  He  could  not  be  seen,  but  they  fired 
random  shots,  the  second  of  which  entered  his  left  side,  passed 
through  his  heart,  and  out  under  the  right  arm.  He  leaped  from 
the  deck,  and  fell  dead.  The  canoes  still  approached,  and,  for 
fifteen  minutes  longer,  death  was  dealt  in  frightful  forms  to  the 
astounded  natives.  Jones  now  determined  to  retake  the  deck  at 
all  hazards.  Each  man,  with  loaded  gun,  advanced  to  the  gang- 
way; as  they  went  up,  they  met  from  those  aloft  the  joyful 
announcement,  "  They  are  overboard  !"  Every  savage  had  sprung 
into  the  water.  The  crew  levelled  their  guns,  and,  as  the  enemy 
rose  to  the  surface,  gave  them  a  parting  volley,  and  immediately 
made  sail.  One  short  hour  had  deprived  them  of  all  their  senior 
officers ;  reduced  their  number  to  fourteen,  fit  for  duty ;  cost  the 
savages  a  score  of  lives,  including  that  of  their  chief;  ruined  the 
prospects  of  the  voyage ;  and  placed  in  command  of  a  fine  ship  a 
young  man  whose  courage  and  skill  would  make  him  an  ornament 
to  our  navy. 


ADDRESS.  51 

Mr.  Jones  navigated  the  vessel  through  a  portion  of  the  most 
dangerous  part  of  the  Pacific,  and,  after  a  voyage  of  fifty  days, 
brought  her  into  the  nearest  port,  arid  gave  her  up  to  the  American 
consul,* 

Almost  every  arrival  from  the  Pacific  brings  some  melancholy 
intelligence  of  shipwreck,  mutiny,  or  massacre,  among  the  South 
Sea  islands.  The  schooners  Honduras  and  Thetis  sailed  from  the 
Sandwich  Islands  on  the  9th  of  May,  1835,  on  a  shelling  voyage 
among  the  islands  in  the  North  Pacific.  Shortly  after  leaving,  a 
mutiny  took  place  on  board  the  Thetis,  in  which  Captain  Rogers 
and  his  mate  were  both  killed  while  asleep  on  deck.  The  trading- 
master,  or  supercargo  of  the  schooner,  hearing  the  alarm,  came 
from  below  well  armed,  and  instantly  attacked  and  slew  the  prin- 
cipal mutineer.  He  then  took  command  of  the  vessel,  and  reached 
the  island  of  Ascension,  where  the  Honduras  had  before  arrived. 

The  Honduras  left  soon  after  on  a  cruise  among  the  neighbor- 
ing islands.  On  the  23d  of  August,  her  foremast  was  carried 
away,  and,  being  in  want  of  provisions,  she  went  into  Strong's 
Island,  one  of  the  Kingsmill's  group,  lying  in  latitude  five  degrees 
twelve  minutes  north,  longitude  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  degrees 
fifty-eight  minutes  east.  On  the  day  of  her  arrival,  while  the 
vessel  was  filled  with  people,  and  the  captain  and  eight  men  were 
on  shore,  the  natives  commenced  an  attack,  in  which  thirteen  men, 
including  the  captain  and  party  on  shore,  were  murdered.  The 
mate,  with  the  assistance  only  of  a  boy,  finally  succeeded  in  clear- 
ing the  vessel  of  the  savages,  and  worked  her  out  of  the  harbour, 
though  she  grounded  several  times.  He  arrived  at  Ascension  on 
the  3d  of  September  last,  in  great  distress,  but  shipped  a  native 
crew,  and  continued  the  voyage.  On  the  4th  of  January,  the 
Honduras  and  Thetis  were  both  at  Honolalu. 


From  that  port  she  sailed  for  the  United  States,  and  arrived  in  June. 


52  ADDRESS. 

At  Strong's  Island  was  seen  a  whaling  brig  on  shore,  which 
had  sailed  from  the  Sandwich  Islands  fourteen  months  previously; 
no  doubt  she  had  been  taken  by  the  natives,  and  her  crew  mur- 
dered, or  led  into  hopeless  captivity.  She  was  owned  by  a  com- 
pany of  persons  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Such  has  been  the 
fate  of  many  of  our  own  vessels. 

The  same  conveyance  which  brought  this  intelligence,  brought, 
also,  an  account  of  the  loss  of  the  whale  ship  Independence  of 
Nantucket,  Captain  Brayton.  This  ship  is  reported  to  be  entirely 
lost  on  a  desolate  island.  The  crew  were  divided  into  two  boats  : 
the  one  commanded  by  the  mate  had  arrived  at  Tahita.  It  was 
feared  Captain  Brayton's  boat  was  lost. 

Even  the  Friendly  Islands,  though  long  known,  and  often  visited 
by  our  ships  for  refreshments,  require  the  presence  of  our  men  of 
war.  Several  outrages  have  been  recently  committed  by  a  chief 
in  the  southeasterly  part  of  the  group  upon  our  sailors  ;  and  cap- 
tains of  vessels  have  in  several  instances  been  seized  while  on 
shore,  and  heavy  demands  exacted  for  their  ransoms.  I  derived 
my  information  of  this  fact  from  one  of  the  masters  referred  to, 
who  was  maltreated  by  the  natives,  and  detained  a  prisoner  for 
twenty-four  hours,  till  he  gave  them  a  cannon  with  ammunition, 
and  many  other  valuable  articles,  as  the  price  of  his  liberty,  and 
was  at  last  suffered  to  return  on  board  his  vessel. 

Alexander  S.  Joy,  of  Nantucket,  informed  me  that  upon  visiting 
the  Tonga  group  in  1833,  he  ascertained  that  there  were  captives 
on  the  islands,  although  he  was  unable  to  learn  their  number,  or 
the  circumstances  under  which  they  had  been  left.  He  also  told 
me  that  there  were  three  Americans  on  the  Navigator  Islands  in 
the  condition  of  prisoners  to  the  natives. 

Captain  Kelly,  of  the  brig  Christopher  Burdick  of  Providence, 
has  in  all  probability  been  recently  shipwrecked  among  the  islands. 
He  sailed  from  the  United  States  on  a  trading  voyage,  and  was 
seen  by  me  at  Valparaiso  in  1831.  The  latest  accounts  received 


ADDRESS.  53 

from  him  are  dated  September  17,  1831,  at  Oahu,  since  when  it 
was  reported  that  he  had  been  at  Wallis's  Island,  and  had  left  on  a 
cruise  about  the  middle  of  February,  1832.  It  was  known  that 
Captain  Kelly  intended  to  visit  the  Feejee  Islands,  and  thence  to 
shape  his  course  southward,  through  the  numerous  groups  lying  in 
the  direction  of  New  Holland.  Since  that  time  no  news  have 
been  received  from  him,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  his  vessel 
has  either  been  wrecked,  or  taken  possession  of  by  the  natives. 
In  either  case,  the  crew,  or  a  portion  of  them,  may  be  at  this 
moment  alive,  and  anxiously  awaiting  the  arrival  of  some  vessel  to 
restore  them  to  their  country  and  friends.  I  saw  at  Nantucket,  in 
October  last,  the  wife  of  Captain  Kelly,  disconsolate  and  worn 
down  by  grief,  with  a  young  and  helpless  family  around  her. 
She  can  only  offer  her  prayers  that  our  government  will  despatch 
vessels  to  seek  for  her  unfortunate  husband  and  his  hapless  crew. 

While  I  remained  at  Nantucket,  I  learned  from  a  widowed 
mother  that  she  had  a  son  on  the  Feejee  Islands.  He  had  been 
cast  away  among  them  nine  years  ago,  and  had  been  for  a  long 
time  given  up  by  her  as  lost,  when  a  short  time  since  she  received 
intelligence  from  him  which  he  contrived  to  send  by  a  whale  ship 
that  passed  near  the  island  he  inhabited. 

The  loss  of  the  ship  Mentor,  of  New  Bedford,  is  fresh  in  the 
recollections  of  all,  since  the  distressing  details  have  been  copied 
into  the  columns  of  every  newspaper  in  the  Union.  The  vessel 
struck  upon  a  ledge  of  rocks  near  the  Pelew  Islands,  not  laid 
down  on  any  chart,  and,  after  losing  an  officer  and  eleven  of  her 
crew  among  the  breakers,  the  captain  and  remainder  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  islands,  when  they  were  made  prisoners  by  the 
natives.  Of  their  detention  there,  and  subsequently  at  Lord 
North's  Island,  the  barbarous  treatment  received  from  the  natives 
of  the  latter  place,  the  death  of  some,  escape  of  others,  as  well  as 
the  condition  of  those  left  as  hostages  in  the  hands  of  the  Pelew 
chiefs,  present  a  thrilling  picture  of  the  vicissitudes  to  which  the 


54  ADDRESS. 

mariner  is  constantly  exposed,  and  which  appeal  to  government 
with  a  force  beyond  the  power  of  all  language  to  portray.  * 

*  Those  islands  which  are  located  in  the  south-western  regions  of  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
are  known  to  some  geographers  by  the  general  appellation  of  Australasia;  while  those 
which  lie  more  to  the  east  and  north,  are  known  by  that  of  Polynesia.  The  latter 
include  the  Ladrones,  the  Caroline,  the  Sandwich,  the  Marquesas,  the  Society  and  the 
Friendly  Islands,  with  all  others  connected  with  those  groups.  Immediately  to  the 
west  of  this  circuit  are  the  Philippines,  the  capital  of  which  is  Manilla.  They  are  said 
to  comprise  eleven  hundred  in  number ;  but  some  hundreds  of  them  are  very  small, 
and  they  are  all  nominally  subject  to  the  Spanish  government  at  Manilla.  The 
natives  of  these  islands  are  known  to  be  affable,  hospitable,  and  honest ;  cultivating 
the  soil  with  industry  and  skill,  and  subsisting  chiefly  on  rice,  cocoa-nuts,  and  salted 
fish. 

Nearly  a  thousand  miles  to  the  eastward  of  the  Philippines,  between  them  and  the 
Caroline  Islands,  are  eighteen  others,  disposed  in  a  group  or  cluster,  to  which  the 
Spaniards  of  the  Philippine  Islands  have  given  the  name  of  Pdaos,  on  account  of  the 
tall  palm-trees,  with  which  they  are  covered  in  great  abundance.  They  are  generally 
known,  however,  to  English  and  American  navigators,  by  the  appellation  of  the 
Pelew  Islands.  Their  inhabitants  were  once  considered  as  ferocious  cannibals,  delight- 
ing to  feed  on  human  flesh ;  and  this  opinion  was  strengthened  by  reports  of  their 
proneness  to  cut  off  every  trading  ship,  of  which  they  could  obtain  the  mastery,  and 
massacre  the  crew.  Such  was  the  current  and  popular  opinion,  until  the  year  1753, 
when  Captain  Wilson,  commander  of  the  Antelope  packet,  in  the  service  of  the  East 
India  Company,  had  the  misfortune  to  suffer  shipwreck  among  them  in  that  year. 
Captain  Wilson  was  the  first  to  give  them  a  very  different  character  from  that  which 
they  had  hitherto  borne ;  and  his  printed  narrative  represents  them  as  hospitable^ 
friendly,  and  humane. 

But  new  and  additional  light  has  been  recently  thrown  upon  the  manners,  character, 
and  customs  of  this  insulated  people,  by  a  similar  disaster  which  befel  the  American 
whale  ship  Mentor,  Captain  Edward  C.  Barnard,  who,  in  1831,  was  wrecked  on  a 
coral  reef  connected  with  the  most  easterly  island  of  this  group,  arid  his  vessel  entirely 
lost  The  captain,  and  eleven  of  his  crew,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  natives,  and 
remained  on  one  of  these  islands  for  the  space  of  six  months ;  during  which  time  they 
were  well  treated,  and  acquired  a  considerable  knowledge  of  the  language,  character, 
manners,  customs,  and  habits  of  the  natives,  who  cheerfully  assisted  them  in  arranging 
the  means  for  eight  of  their  number  to  seek  some  civilized  settlement,  from  whence 
they  might  transmit  a  ransom  for  the  rest.  But  in  attempting  to  navigate  their  way, 
in  a  native  canoe,  to  Amboyna,  one  of  the  Moluccas,  or  Spice  Islands,  which  lie  to  the 
south-west  of  the  Pelews,  they  were  captured  by  the  natives  of  Lord  North's  Island, 
who  reduced  them  to  the  most  abject  state  of  slavery  and  starvation.  Here  their 
misfortunes  may  be  said  to  have  commenced. 

After  ten  months'  captivity  and  suffering,  Captain  Barnard  and  one  of  the  crew 
effected  their  escape  on  board  a  Spanish  vessel,  and  ultimately  reached  the  United 
States  in  safety.  One  of  those  who  still  lingered  in  bondage  was  put  to  death  by  the 
natives  for  some  trifling  offence,  and  another  of  them  literally  died  of  starvation.  Two 
others,  soon  after,  suffered  a  similar  fate — if  it  may  be  termed  suffering,  to  find  relief 
from  their  miseries  in  death.  There  were  now  only  two  individuals  remaining  of  the 


ADDRESS.  55 

The  amount  of  suffering  which  imbitters  the  life  of  families 
deprived  by  the  perils  of  the  sea  of  their  ornaments  and  supports, 
admits  not  of  computation.  The  sum  of  misery  would  still  remain 


eight,  viz.,  Horace  Holden  and  Benjamin  H.  Nute,  who  were  soon  reduced  to  such  a 
state  of  exhaustion  that  they  could  no  longer  labour,  and  were  therefore  refused  even 
the  scanty  allowance  of  food  which  had  hitherto  been  reluctantly  allowed  them. 
Finding  them  totally  useless  as  working  slaves,  the  natives  finally  consented  to  put 
them  on  board  an  English  ship,  which  happened  to  be  passing  the  island  on  her  way 
to  Canton,  after  a  state  of  slavery  of  three  years,  duration,  which,  for  privation  and 
suffering,  beggars  all  description.  At  the  time  of  their  liberation,  they  were  entirely 
naked,  under  a  broiling  sun,  not  a  hundred  miles  north  of  the  equator,  and  so  reduced 
in  health  and  strength,  that  a  few  more  days  of  suffering  must  have  terminated  their 
earthly  existence.  From  Canton,  they  came  home  in  an  American  vessel,  and  arrived 
at  New  York  on  the  5th  of  May,  1835,  after  an  absence  of  nearly  five  years.  From 
a  short  conversation  with  these  two  survivors  of  the  Mentor's  crew,  the  following  par- 
ticulars have  been  obtained. 

The  ship  Mentor,  completely  fitted  and  equipped  for  a  whaling  voyage  to  the  South 
Seas,  sailed  from  New  Bedford  on  the  20th  of  July,  1830.  She  had  a  complement 
of  twenty-two  men,  including  officers,  most  of  them  young  and  enterprising,  excited 
with  high  and  animating  hopes  of  seeing  distant  regions,  and  bettering  their  fortunes 
from  the  treasures  of  the  deep.  On  her  passage  out,  the  Mentor  touched  at  Fayal, 
one  of  that  group  of  islands  distinguished  by  the  name  of  Azores,  or  Western  Islands, 
lying  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  between  twenty-five  and  thirty  degrees  of  west  longitude, 
and  between  the  thirty-seventh  and  fortieth  parallel  of  north  latitude.  After  despatching 
their  business  at  Fayal,  and  surveying  the  scene  of  the  unparalleled  gallant  defence 
of  the  United  States  private  armed  vessel  General  Armstrong,  during  the  last  war, 
the  Mentor  stretched  to  the  south  ;  and,  in  due  time,  after  experiencing  a  great  variety 
of  weather,  she  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  crossed  the  Indian  Ocean,  to  the 
Strait  of  Timor.  From  hence,  it  was  the  captain's  intention  to  steer  for  the  island  of 
Tinian,  one  of  the  Ladrone  group,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  lay  their  contemplated 
cruising  ground. 

The  time  occupied  in  this  extensive  route  had  brought  round  the  month  of  May, 
1831,  before  she  reached  Amboyna,  the  Dutch  metropolis  of  the  Moluccas,  or  Spice 
Islands.  About  the  15th  of  May,  they  began  to  encounter  boisterous  weather,  and 
for  several  days  were  unable  to  take  any  observation.  On  the  21st,  the  weather 
became  still  worse,  and  finally  increased  to  a  most  tremendous  gale,  which  obliged 
them  to  reduce  their  sails  until  nothing  remained  spread  but  a  close  reefed  main-topsail 
and  a  back  topmast-staysail.  The  ship  laboured  severely  until  nearly  midnight, 
when  she  struck  upon  a  coral  reef,  running  out  from  the  nearest  of  the  Pelew  Islands. 

As  every  one  instantly  perceived  that  the  destruction  of  the  ship  was  inevitable, 
eleven  of  the  crew  attempted  to  save  themselves  in  a  boat,  which  they  lowered  for  that 
purpose,  but  were  never  afterwards  heard  of.  The  remaining  eleven  of  the  crew 
clung  by  the  ship,  which  now  lay  on  her  beam  ends,  a  helpless  mark  for  the  fury  of  the 
waves,  and  still  exerted  every  endeavour  to  right  her,  by  cutting  away  her  masts,  and 
resorting  to  every  other  expedient  to  save  her,  until  they  found  themselves  compelled 
to  give  up  their  useless  efforts  in  despair,  and  to  consult  their  own  personal  safety,  by 


56  ADDRESS. 

great,  were  everything  which  a  wise  and  enlightened  philanthropy 
could  suggest  for  its  alleviation  be  successfully  accomplished. 
The  human  heart  is  long  destined,  as  in  times  bygone,  to  be 


lashing  themselves  to  her  weather  side,  where  they  remained  a  prey  to  the  most 
gloomy  forebodings  until  morning. 

The  earliest  glimmerings  of  returning  day  had  no  sooner  appeared  in  the  east,  than 
the  eleven  survivors  launched  the  remaining  boat  from  the  ship,  and  proceeded  to 
examine  the  reef,  along  which  they  rowed  about  two  miles  from  the  wreck,  when  they 
succeeded  in  getting  upon  dry  land.  Here  they  remained  two  days  and  two  nights, 
with  nothing  to  subsist  on,  except  a  few  pounds  of  bread  which  they  had  taken  from 
the  wreck,  with  about  four  gallons  of  water.  They  had  also  secured  a  few  of  their 
clothes,  two  or  three  cutlasses,  a  musket,  and  a  pair  of  pistols. 

On  the  third  morning  after  their  landing,  as  soon  as  daylight  appeared,  the  first 
objects  which  met  their  view  were  thirty  or  forty  canoes,  rapidly  approaching  them. 
Captain  Barnard  immediately  told  his  men  that  they  would  be  surrounded  by  savages, 
and  advised  them  to  submit  without  resistance.  The  leading  canoe,  filled  with  naked 
savages,  soon  approached  the  shore,  and  then  lay  to,  in  order  more  closely  to  examine 
the  shipwrecked  strangers.  The  latter,  perceiving  that  the  natives  were  evidently 
waiting  for  some  intimation  of  their  feelings  on  this  occasion,  displayed  a  shirt  on  an 
oar,  as  a  signal  of  amity  and  submission,  when  the  savages  immediately  landed,  and 
very  unceremoniously  seized  their  clothes  and  weapons,  which  they  conveyed  to  their 
canoe.  Having  thus  stripped  their  involuntary  and  defenceless  guests,  they  called  out 
to  them,  in  an  authoritative  voice,  made  intelligible  by  violent  gesticulations,  for  the 
Americans  to  accompany  them  to  the  ship  for  more  plunder.  Compliance  followed, 
of  course,  and  the  wreck  was  soon  plundered  of  everything  that  could  be  carried 
away  in  the  canoes,  particularly  fire-arms  and  other  weapons.  After  thus  thorouglily 
stripping  the  Mentor,  all  the  canoes,  except  one,  departed  j  and  the  savages  in  that 
made  signs  to  the  seamen  to  throw  them  a  rope,  and  they  would  tow  them  to  land. 
They  accordingly  did  so ;  but  as  they  approached  the  land,  the  natives  in  the  canoe 
used  such  menacing  gestures  towards  the  boat's  crew,  that  the  captain  ordered  Benja- 
min Nute  to  cut  the  towline,  and  the  Americans  immediately  pulled  away  from  her. 
The  savages  resented  this  manoeuvre  by  throwing  their  war-clubs  and  spears  at  the 
retreating  crew,  by  one  of  which  missiles  the  face  of  a  seaman  was  dreadfully  shat- 
tered. They  succeeded,  however,  in  making  their  escape  to  the  open  sea,  preferring 
to  encounter  the  tender  mercies  of  the  billows,  than  the  sufferings  which  might  await 
them  on  shore. 

At  sundown,  they  again  beheld  land,  and  on  the  ensuing  day  succeeded  in  reaching 
it,  but  in  a  state  of  the  utmost  exhaustion.  This  was  a  small  uninhabited  island, 
situated  about  half  a  mile  from  a  larger  one.  They  succeeded  in  getting  on  shore, 
where  they  soon  saw  a  canoe  approach  them  with  two  savages  in  it,  who  held  up 
a  fish  in  token  of  amity.  The  Americans  responded  to  the  signal  by  exhibiting  a 
large  crab.  This  interchange  of  telegraphic  signs  appeared  to  satisfy  the  natives, 
who  immediately  landed,  and  approached  the  Americans  with  apparent  pleasure  and 
confidence,  evidently  gratified  at  the  unexpected  meeting.  After  some  time,  they 
made  signs  for  the  seamen  to  follow  them  into  their  canoes,  and  then  proceeded 
towards  the  larger  island ;  on  their  way  to  which,  they  were  soon  surrounded  by 


ADDRESS.  57 

wrung  with  unavoidable  and  irremediable  griefs ;  these  must  be 
healed  by  the  soothing  influence  of  time,  and  the  consolations  of 
religion.  But  it  is  not  of  these  that  we  speak.  The  sorrow  we 

several  canoes,  from  one  of  which  a  chief  sprang  into  the  American  boat,  and 
assaulted  Captain  Barnard  with  the  greatest  fury.  This  seemed  to  be  the  signal  for 
a  general  attack,  which  now  took  place  simultaneously,  until  the  exhausted  Americans 
were  overpowered  and  stripped  naked,  and  in  this  helpless  condition  conveyed  to  land. 

Here  they  were  soon  surrounded  by  women  and  children,  who  regarded  them  as 
extraordinary  objects  of  curiosity,  repeatedly  examining  them  minutely,  with  their 
hands  as  well  as  their  eyes,  and  evincing  much  sympathy  and  compassion  for  their 
misfortunes.  All  the  chiefs  were  assembled  on  a  stone  platform  near  them,  to  delibe- 
rate and  determine  on  what  was  to  be  done  with  the  strangers.  When  the  result  of 
their  deliberations  was  announced,  the  women  and  children  were  affected  to  tears> 
which  filled  the  unfortunate  captives  with  the  most  dreadful  forebodings  of  a  lamenta- 
ble fate.  These  apprehensions,  however,  proved  to  be  entirely  groundless ;  for  as  soon 
as  the  council  broke  up,  they  were  treated  with  a  sort  of  toddy,  composed  of  water 
and  molasses,  made  from  the  saccharine  of  the  cocoa-nut.  They  were  then  conducted 
to  the  chief  town,  called  Ibuel,  where  the  chiefs  held  another  council  on  the  subject  of 
their  reception,  which  was  suddenly  dissolved  by  an  incident  that  gave  a  new  and 
brighter  aspect  to  the  affair,  and  would  prove  highly  effective  as  the  denouement  of  a 
drama  on  the  stage. 

In  the  midst  of  the  council's  deliberations,  a  chief,  to  the  unspeakable  astonishment 
of  the  Americans,  ran  towards  them  from  another  quarter,  and  eagerly  addressed  them 
in  English !  Who  can  form  the  faintest  idea  of  the  overpowering  emotions  which 
shook  every  American  bosom  at  this  instant  ?  To  be  addressed  in  their  own  language, 
and  that  correctly  spoken  too,  in  a  situation  where  they  had  nothing  to  expect  but 
tortures  and  death  from  inhuman  barbarians,  who  would  only  mock  at  their  shrieks 
of  anguish  in  an  unknown  jargon !  But  here  was  one  of  their  own  countrymen,  (or, 
what  is  the  same  thing,  an  Englishman,)  who  announced  himself  as  chief  and  gov- 
ernor of  the  island,  and  whose  will  was  the  supreme  law ! 

On  entering  into  conversation  with  this  chief,  they  learned  that  he  was  an  English- 
man, who  had  deserted  his  ship  more  than  twenty  years  before ;  had  remained  on  the 
island  ever  since ;  had  been  elected  as  a  chief,  and  exercised  unlimited  authority 
among  the  savages.  Through  this  man's  influence,  they  had  a  comfortable  house 
assigned  them  to  live  in,  and  were  well  treated  while  they  remained  on  the  island. 
Their  shirts  and  trousers  were  returned,  which  were  all  the  clothes  they  had  to  wear ; 
they  were  well  fed,  however,  and  not  required  to  do  any  work.  The  island  produced 
a  plenty  of  cocoa-nuts  and  yams ;  was  well  stocked  with  pigs  and  goats,  and  was 
resorted  to  by  immense  flocks  of  seafowl.  So  that  they  lived  a  life  of  ease  and  plenty 
for  about  six  months,  when,  by  an  abortive  attempt  to  relieve  their  natural  longings  for 
home,  they  encountered  a  state  of  toil  and  starvation,  that  offered  no  hope  of  relief  but 
from  the  stroke  of  death ! 

After  an  exile  of  half  a  year,  and  perceiving  no  likelihood  of  a  vessel  touching  at  the 
island,  the  Americans  at  length  induced  some  of  the  natives,  by  promises  of  rewards, 
to  build  them  a  canoe,  and  to  let  eight  of  them  leave  the  island,  the  other  three  remain- 
ing as  hostages  for  the  promised  payment  These  eight  seamen,  accompanied  by 

8 


58  ADDRESS. 

nave  witnessed  may  yet  be  turned  to  joy,  and  it  is  to  the  paternal 
sympathy  and  prompt  action  of  the  government  that  we  can  look 
for  relief. 


three  natives,  embarked  in  the  canoe  and  the  seamen's  boat,  and  set  sail  for  Amboyna, 
which  lies  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  leagues  to  the  south- west  of  the  Pelew  Islands. 
When  they  had  been  five  days  on  their  adventurous  voyage,  the  canoe  foundered,  and 
the  eight  seamen  and  savages  were  obliged  to  take  to  the  boat ;  their  stock  of  pro- 
visions consisting  of  only  four  cocoa-nuts  each,  and  about  twelve  quarts  of  water.  In 
four  days  afterwards,  being  the  6th  of  December,  1831,  they  arrived  within  sight  of 
Lord  North's  Island,  which  lies  in  latitude  three  degrees  three  minutes  north,  longitude 
one  hundred  and  thirty-one  degrees  twenty  minutes  east,  about  ninety  leagues  from 
the  hospitable  island  which  they  had  recently  left. 

When  they  had  arrived  within  five  or  six  miles  of  Lord  North's  Island,  they  were 
soon  surrounded  by  the  savages,  in  about  twenty  canoes,  who  instantly  commenced 
an  unprovoked  attack  upon  the  defenceless  Americans,  every  one  of  whom  they 
knocked  overboard,  and  then  beat  their  boat  to  pieces  with  their  war-clubs.  In  this 
dilemma,  the  Americans  swam  from  one  canoe  to  another,  entreating  to  be  taken  on 
board,  but  were  obstinately  repulsed  by  the  savages,  until  they  had  completed  their 
work  of  destruction.  They  were  then  picked  up,  and  conveyed  to  the  island,  which 
is  extremely  barren  and  unproductive,  forming  a  striking  contrast  with  the  fertile  spot 
they  had  so  recently  left.  Lizards  and  mice  are  the  only  animal  productions  which 
this  steril  spot  produces ;  and  no  vegetables,  except  the  cocoa-nut.  The  population 
is  between  four  and  five  hundred  souls,  who  lead  a  most  miserable  and  wretched  life ; 
so  that  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  many  of  them  to  die  of  actual  starvation ! 

The  Americans  were  no  sooner  landed,  than  they  were  all  instantly  stripped  of  the 
wretched  rags  which  remained  among  them,  and  they  were  then  apportioned  out  as 
slaves  to  different  masters  in  the  island,  by  whom  they  were  treated  in  the  most  cruel 
manner,  half-starved  and  almost  worked  to  death.  Horace  Holden,  one  of  their  num- 
ber, who  has  published  a  very  interesting  narrative  of  their  adventures  and  sufferings, 
thinks  he  was  more  fortunate  than  the  rest,  and  had  a  more  lenient  master ;  but  he 
had  nothing  to  congratulate  himself  upon.  Captain  Barnard,  being  a  stout  muscular 
man,  was  treated  with  the  most  kindness. 

The  inhabitants  of  Lord  North's  Island  are  in  a  state  of  barbarism  and  ignorance ; 
their  principal,  and  almost  only  food,  is  the  cocoa-nut,  with  which  the  island  is  scantily 
supplied.  Occasionally  they  caught  a  few  fish,  or  a  turtle ;  but  in  general  they  are  too 
lazy  even  to  take  the  means  of  living  when  they  can.  Their  sick  and  feeble  are  turned 
away  to  get  well  alone,  or  die  by  themselves,  as  fate  may  decide.  Religion  they  have 
none,  unless  an  indistinct  fear  of  a  power— they  know  not  what— and  an  occasional 
worship  of  images,  can  be  termed  such.  While  Holden  was  on  the  island,  several 
earthquakes  happened,  which  terrified  the  natives  much,  as  also  did  thunderstorms. 

Their  war  weapons  are  wooden  spears,  pointed  with  rows  of  sharks'  teeth,  and  very 
iieavy.  Their  canoes  are  made  of  logs  which  accidentally  drift  to  the  island,  as  they 
cannot  raise  trees  large  enough  for  the  purpose  among  themselves.  Their  language 
is  peculiar  to  themselves,  and  the  natives  of  Bablethoup,  who  were  with  our  sufferers, 
could  not  understand  them.  They  are  cowardly  and  servile,  yet  barbarous  and  cruel ; 
and  in  their  habits,  tempers,  and  dispositions,  most  disgusting  and  loathsome. 


ADDRESS.  59 

But  it  is  unnecessary  to  dwell  longer  on  the  losses  of  our  vessels, 
a  portion  of  whose  crews  are  still  surviving  on  the  numerous  islands 
of  those  dangerous  seas.  The  list  might  be  greatly  enlarged,  to 


The  crew  of  the  Mentor  were  captured  December  6,  1831,  and  in  about  two  months 
afterwards  Captain  Barnard  and  one  man  managed  to  escape  in  a  canoe,  to  a  vessel 
which  was  in  sight.  This  only  served  to  render  the  situation  of  the  rest  more  severe 
and  distressing.  At  no  time  had  they  food  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  hunger, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  labour  incessantly  for  their  masters,  naked  and  in  the  hot  sun, 
until  their  flesh  was  gone,  their  skin  tanned  and  burnt,  and  their  bones  sore.  The 
survivors  were  held  accountable  for  those  who  had  run  away,  and  were  given  to  un- 
derstand that  their  doom  was  sealed.  Vessels  frequently  afterwards  came  in  sight, 
and  the  natives  traded  with  them,  but  the  crew  of  the  Mentor  were,  at  such  times, 
carefully  kept  out  of  the  way.  They  were  roused  to  their  work  at  sunrise,  and  kept  at 
labour  till  night,  frequently  without  any  food  until  they  had  finished,  and  then  not 
enough ;  and  if  from  exhaustion  the  required  amount  of  labour  was  not  performed,  they 
were  deprived  of  food  altogether.  To  add  to  their  other  sufferings,  they  were  all 
tattooed,  in  spite  of  expostulations  and  entreaties.  This  was  performed  in  a  cruel 
manner.  They  were  bound  down  to  the  ground,  and  figures  imprinted  on  the  skin 
with  a  sharp  stick ;  the  skin  was  then  thickly  punctured  with  an  instrument  made  of 
sharpened  fish  bones,  something  like  an  adze  in  shape,  but  having  teeth  like  a  saw, 
rather  than  a  smooth  edge.  This  instrument  was  held  within  an  inch  or  two  of  the 
skin,  and  struck  upon  with  a  piece  of  wood  to  drive  into  the  flesh  ;  an  inky  substance 
was  then  poured  into  the  wounds.  In  this  way  their  breasts  and  arms  were  tattooed, 
and  the  narrator  has  the  marks  of  it  now  on  his  body.  The  consequence  was,  of 
course,  running  sores  for  some  time.  They  were  also  obliged  to  pluck  the  hair  from 
different  parts  of  the  body,  and  to  pluck  their  beards  once  in  ten  days. 

About  a  year  after  they  had  been  on  the  island,  William  Sefton,  one  of  the  crew, 
became  so  reduced  and  exhausted  by  hunger,  that  he  was  unable  to  walk,  or  even  rise 
from  the  ground.  In  this  situation,  he  was  not  allowed  the  poor  satisfaction  of  dying 
among  his  comrades,  but  was  placed  by  the  savages  in  an  old  canoe,  and  sent  adrift 
on  the  ocean.  This  was  but  the  commencement  of  the  final  breaking  up  of  the  little 
remnant  of  the  poor  Mentor's  crew.  One  after  another  was  either  starved  to  death, 
or  killed  for  some  trifling  offence ;  and  at  one  time,  it  was  almost  by  a  miracle  that 
Holden  himself  was  saved  from  a  similar  fate.  All  the  dead  were  sent  adrift  on  the 
ocean,  as  it  was  not  the  custom  of  the  natives  to  deposite  their  dead  in  the  earth,  except 
very  young  children.  One  other,  only,  was  ever  sent  to  sea  alive,  after  having  become 
so  reduced  as  to  be  unable  to  help  himself.  There  was  no  alleviation  of  their  wretch- 
edness, and  Nute  and  Holden  were  the  last  ones  left,  with  only  the  Pelew  chief  who 
accompanied  them  from  Bablethoup. 

In  the  autumn  of  1834,  the  two  survivors  had  become  so  feeble  as  to  be  useless  to 
their  masters,  and,  having  learned  sufficient  of  the  language  to  talk  with  the  natives, 
reasoned  them  into  a  promise  that  they  might  go  on  board  the  next  vessel  that  came 
in  sight.  They  were  then  literally  turned  out  to  die  ;  as  they  could  not  work,  they 
were  not  allowed  food,  and  they  crawled  from  place  to  place  subsisting  on  leaves,  and 
occasionally  begging  a  morsel  of  cocoa-nut,  until  at  last  an  English  vessel  came  in 
eight.  The  natives  were  persuaded,  by  promises  of  reward,  to  put  off  for  the  ship, 


60  ADDRESS. 

say  nothing  of  the  fate  of  those  from  whom  no  tidings  have  ever 
been  received,  and  of  whom,  in  the  simple,  yet  awfully  impressive 
language  of  a  celebrated  writer,  we  know  only  that  "  they  sailed 
from  their  port  and  were  never  more  heard  of;"  or  in  the  equally 
impressive  language  of  the  Nantucket  memorial,  "  many  ships 
have  gone  into  those  seas,  and  no  soul  has  returned  to  tell  their  fate." 
When  such  appeals  have  been  made  to  other  nations,  they  have 
not  paused  to  deliberate  or  calculate  the  expense.  The  expedi- 
tions despatched  in  quest  of  La  Perouse*  reflected  more  honour 


and,  after  some  trouble,  Nute  and  Holden  were  got  on  board.  They  were  kindly 
tended,  and  landed  at  Lintin,  whence,  by  the  assistance  of  brother  Americans,  they 
were  enabled  to  reach  home. 

The  book  from  which  we  gather  these  facts  is  well  written,  and  contains  a  great 
deal  of  information  respecting  the  habits  and  customs,  and  the  language  of  the 
savages.  The  author,  of  course,  returned  poor,  but  he  has  found  friends  when  and 
where  he  least  expected.  The  sale  of  this  little  volume  will  assist  him  much,  and  it 
is  within  the  compass  of  every  one's  means.  It  is  no  fictitious  narrative — the  proofs 
of  all  he  says  are  undoubted,  and  his  own  body  furnishes  evidence  that  his  sufferings 
have  not  been  exaggerated. 

*  Voyage  in  search  of  La  Perouse,  performed  by  order  of  the  Constituent  Assembly ,  in  tht 
years  1791,  '92,  '93  and  1794,  and  dravm  up  by  M.  Labillardiere  : 
INTRODUCTION. 

Pagexi.  "No  intelligence  had  been  received  for  three  years  respecting  the  ships 
Boussole  and  Astrolabe,  commanded  by  M.  de  la  Perouse,  when,  early  in  the  year 
1791,  the  Parisian  Society  of  Natural  History  called  the  attention  of  the  Constituent 
Assembly  to  the  fate  of  that  navigator  and  his  unfortunate  companions. 

"The  hope  of  recovering  at  least  some  wreck  of  an  expedition  undertaken  to  promote 
the  sciences,  induced  the  Assembly  to  send  two  other  ships  to  steer  the  same  course 
which  those  navigators  must  have  pursued,  after  their  departure  from  Botany  Bay. 
Some  of  them,  it  was  thought,  might  have  escaped  from  the  wreck,  and  might  be  con- 
fined in  a  desert  island,  or  thrown  upon  some  coast  inhabited  by  savages.  Perhaps 
they  might  be  dragging  out  life  in  a  distant  clime,  with  their  longing  eyes  continually 
fixed  upon  the  sea,  anxiously  looking  for  that  relief  which  they  had  a  right  to  expect 
from  their  country. 

"  On  the  9th  of  February,  1791,  the  following  decree  was  passed  upon  this  subject : 

"  The  National  Assembly,  having  heard  the  report  of  its  joint  committees  of  Agri- 
culture, Commerce,  and  the  Marine,  decrees :  That  the  King  be  petitioned  to  issue 
orders  to  all  the  ambassadors,  residents,  consuls,  and  agents  of  the  nation,  to  apply,  in 
the  name  of  humanity,  and  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  to  the  different  Sovereigns  at 
whose  courts  they  reside,  requesting  them  to  charge  all  their  navigators  and  agents 
whatsoever,  and  in  what  places  soever,  but  particularly  in  the  most  southerly  parts  of 
the  South  Sea,  to  search  diligently  for  the  two  French  frigates,  the  Boussole  and  the 


ADDRESS.  61 

on  the  French  government  than  all  their  discoveries.  The  Kings 
of  Denmark  bound  themselves  by  their  coronation  oaths  to  search 
for,  protect,  and  succour  their  colonies  in  the  far  north,  whose  in- 
habitants, if  deprived  of  the  aid  of  the  mother  country,  might 
perish  under  their  privations  in  the  long  and  dreary  Arctic  winters. 
But  examples  drawn  from  times  comparatively  remote  may  be 
viewed  with  indifference  by  some,  who  think  nothing  to  be  real, 
and  possess  a  practical  bearing,  unless  it  transpire  in  their  own 
generation,  and  occur  before  their  own  eyes.  To  such  we  will 
instance  the  fact,  that  no  sooner  was  news  received  in  England,  a 
few  months  since,  that  several  whale  ships  were  locked  up  in  the 
ice  in  the  Arctic  regions,  than  the  Admiralty  anticipated  the  gen- 
erous sympathies  of  the  nation,  by  devising  the  most  speedy  and 
efficient  means  for  their  relief.  That  distinguished  officer,  Cap- 
tain Ross,  the  younger,  having  volunteered  his  services,  was 
solicited  to  command  the  expedition  fitted  out  for  this  purpose. 

Astrolabe,  commanded  by  M.  de  la  Perouse,  as  also  for  their  ships'  companies,  and 
to  make  every  inquiry  which  has  a  tendency  to  ascertain  their  existence  or  their  ship- 
wreck ;  in  order  that,  if  M.  de  la  Pe"  rouse  and  his  companions  should  be  found  or  met 
with  in  any  place  whatsoever,  they  may  give  them  every  assistance,  and  procure  them 
all  the  means  necessary  for  their  return  into  their  own  country,  and  for  bringing  with 
them  all  the  property  of  which  they  may  be  possessed;  and  the  National  Assembly 
engages  to  indemnify,  and  even  to  recompense,  in  proportion  to  the  importance  of  the 
service,  any  person  or  persons  who  shall  give  assistance  to  those  navigators,  shall 
procure  intelligence  concerning  them,  or  shall  be  instrumental  in  restoring  to  France 
any  papers  or  effects  whatsoever,  which  may  belong,  or  may  have  belonged,  to  their 
expedition. 

"  Decrees  further,  that  the  King  be  petitioned  to  give  orders  for  the  fitting  out  of 
one  or  more  ships,  having  on  board  men  of  science,  naturalists,  and  draughtsmen,  and 
to  charge  the  commanders  of  the  expedition  with  the  two-fold  mission  of  searching  for 
M.  de  la  P6rouse,  agreeably  to  the  documents,  instructions,  and  orders  which  shall  be 
delivered  to  them,  and  of  making  inquiries  relative  to  the  sciences  and  to  commerce, 
taking  every  measure  to  render  this  expedition  useful  and  advantageous  to  navigation, 
geography,  commerce,  and  the  arts  and  sciences,  independently  of  their  search  for  M.  de 
la  Perouse,  and  even  after  having  found  him,  or  obtained  intelligence  concerning  him." 

Compared  with  the  original,  by  us,  the  President  and  Secretaries  of  the  National 
Assembly,  at  Paris,  this  24th  day  of  February,  1791. 

(Signed)  DUPORT,  President. 

BO°URs!lON,   \  Caries. 


62  ADDRESS. 

On  being  informed,  about  twelve  months  since,  of  the  probable 
loss  of  the  French  vessel  Lilloise  in  the  Polar  Seas,  one  hundred 
thousand  francs  were  offered  by  the  government  as  a  reward  to 
ships  of  any  nation,  who  should  succeed  in  extricating  her  crew 
from  their  perilous  situation,  while  at  the  same  time  the  Recherche 
was  despatched  to  look  after  them. 

With  these  multiplied  examples  before  us,  we  feel  emboldened  to 
ask,  if  our  officers  are  less  persevering  and  skilful  than  Europeans, 
and  if  the  lives  of  our  mariners  are  to  be  held  in  less  estimation 
than  those  of  foreigners  ?  A  reply  to  the  first  question  is  con- 
tained in  the  pages  of  our  history;  for  an  answer  to  the  second, 
we  must  look  to  the  action  of  the  government. 

But  perhaps  some  one  may  ask,  why  not  despatch  a  national 
vessel  from  the  Pacific  squadron  to  the  relief  of  these  unfortunate 
men  ?  and  why  may  not  all  useful  ends  be  accomplished  by  the 
agency  of  our  regular  naval  force  on  that  station,  and  the  intelli- 
gence of  our  officers  ? 

These  are  questions  which,  though  often  asked,  evince  more 
humanity  than  judgment,  since  we  hesitate  not  to  say,  that  such  a 
step  would  carry  with  it  the  shadow  of  protection,  without  effecting 
any  substantial  or  permanent  results.  Let  us  examine  this  subject 
in  a  practical  point  of  view.  What  is  the  authorized  force  con- 
stituting the  Pacific  squadron  ?  One  frigate,  two  sloops,  and  a 
schooner ;  and  even  this  is  a  larger  force  than  is  usually  retained 
there.  Again,  what  are  the  duties  of  this  squadron,  and  what  the 
extent  of  coast  to  be  guarded  by  it  ?  It  is  constantly  in  motion, 
on  a  line  from  the  islands  of  Chiloe,  in  latitude  forty-two  degrees 
south,  to  the  coast  of  California,  and  even  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  river,  in  a  yet  higher  latitude  north ;  comprising  at  least 
eighty  degrees,  or  nearly  one-fourth  of  the  earth's  circumference, 
and  embracing  six  of  the  separate  governments  of  South  America, 
as  often  convulsed  by  political  revolutions  as  their  mountains  and 
plains  are  by  the  shocks  of  their  earthquakes  and  the  eruptions  of 


ADDRESS.  63 

their  volcanoes.  The  Pacific  squadron  has  enough  to  do  within 
its  already  prescribed  limits.  Even  were  our  squadron  greatly 
increased,  as  it  should  be,  in  the  Pacific,  still  that  immense  line  of 
coast  would  afford  ample  employment  for  its  officers,  however 
ardent  in  their  contributions  to  science.  As  long  as  the  waters  of 
the  numerous  harbours  on  the  coast  shall  continue  to  be  divided 
by  the  keels  of  our  vessels,  no  item  of  geographical  knowledge 
should  be  deemed  so  minute,  as  to  be  unworthy  our  attention.  If 
our  public  vessels,  therefore,  find  leisure  on  their  hands,  it  is  not 
because  there  is  nothing  to  do.  It  is  notorious  that  there  are 
numerous  points  on  that  coast  misplaced  on  the  charts  of  the  most 
recent  construction  and  by  the  most  approved  hydrographers.  In 
a  space  comprising  several  hundred  miles  north  of  Lima,  almost 
every  point  is  said  to  have  an  erroneously  assigned  position  on 
the  charts.  Our  knowledge  of  the  northwest  coast,  especially 
about  the  mouth  of  the  river  Columbia,  is  still  defective.  Of 
some  spacious  bays  making  in  on  the  north,  we  have  not  even  the 
sketch  of  a  chart ;  while  of  the  islands  adjacent,  we  know  still  less 
— we  mean  that  degree  of  accuracy  which  deserves  the  name  of 
knowledge.  The  Galapago  group*  of  islands  have  never  been 


*  This,  in  some  respects,  interesting  group,  which  comprises  a  large  number  of 
small  islands,  is  situated  nearly  under  the  equator,  between  the  eighty-ninth  and 
ninety-second  degrees  of  west  longitude,  about  two  hundred  and  forty  leagues  west 
of  the  American  continent  A  majority  of  these  islands  are  situated  a  little  south  of 
the  equinoctial  line,  though  a  few  scattering  islands  are  found  north  of  it  Albemarle, 
which  is  the  largest  of  the  cluster,  is  more  than  seventy  miles  in  length,  and  stretches 
north  and  south,  with  an  eastern  coast  that  is  nearly  straight,  but  its  western  side  is 
deeply  concave,  embracing  the  volcanic  island  of  Narborough.  The  north  head  of 
Albemarle  terminates  westwardly  in  Cape  Berkley,  which  is  exactly  on  the  line. 
South  and  east  of  Albemarle  are  Charles's  Island,  Hood's,  Chatham's,  Barrington's, 
Downes's,  Porter's,  and  James's  islands. 

The  name  of  this  group  is  derived  from  the  Spanish  word  galapago,  a  fresh  water 
tortoise  ;  and  it  was  given  to  these  islands  because  they  abound  with  the  largest  class 
of  these  animals,  a  species  of  terapin,  to  which  Commodore  Porter  has  given  the  name 
of  elephant  tortoise,  as  their  legs,  feet,  and  clumsy  movements  strongly  resemble  those 
of  the  elephant.  Their  flesh  is  most  excellent  food,  and  they  seem  to  have  been 
placed  here,  in  these  lonely  regions,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  refreshing  the  adventurous 


64  ADDRESS. 

accurately  surveyed,  and  they  are  much  frequented  by  our  whale 
ships  at  the  present  time. 

While  standing  direct  for  Charles  Island,  (on  which  there  is  a 

mariner.,  whose  hazardous  calling  is  the  pursuit  of  the  great  leviathan  of  the  deep. 
Many  of  them  weigh  from  three  to  four  hundred  pounds,  and  will  live  in  the  hold  of  a 
vessel  a  remarkable  length  of  time,  without  sustenance,  and  still  retain  much  of  their 
original  fatness  and  richness  of  flavour.  Their  drink  is  pure  water,  which  they  carry 
with  them  cool,  fresh,  and  sweet,  for  a  long  time  after  they  are  made  prisoners. 

The  hill-sides  of  these  islands,  near  the  shore,  are  covered  with  prickly-pear  trees, 
upon  which  these  terapins  feed,  and  thrive  in  a  most  wonderful  manner.  These 
animals  have  doubtless  saved  the  lives  of  many  seamen  employed  in  the  whale- 
fisheries  in  those  seas,  who  would  otherwise  have  perished  or  suffered  much  with  the 
scurvy.  They  sometimes  take  from  six  to  nine  hundred  of  the  smallest  of  these 
tortoises  on  board,  when  about  leaving  the  islands  for  their  cruising  grounds  ;  thus 
providing  themselves  with  fresh  and  wholesome  provisions  for  six  or  eight  months, 
and  securing  the  men  from  attacks  of  the  scurvy. 

The  amount  of  tonnage  and  capital  employed  in  the  South  Sea  fisheries  has  so  much 
augmented,  within  a  few  past  years,  as  to  produce  a  general  impression  that  every 
thing  connected  with  this  great  interest  is  going  on  prosperously. 

Such,  unfortunately,  is  not  the  case.  Abuses  of  the  most  serious  nature,  not  only 
exist,  but  are  of  daily  occurrence  in  the  whale  fleet.  Some  of  these  abuses  may  be 
corrected  by  the  owners,  while  others  can  only  be  reached  by  the  strong  arm  of 
government.  That  our  public  vessels  do  all  in  their  power  to  redress  these  evils,  is 
readily  admitted  ;  but  having  an  extensive  coast  and  its  interests  to  protect,  they  are 
often  distant  from  the  ports  frequented  by  whalers.  Hence  arises  the  number  of  dis- 
ordered ships,  and  protracted  if  not  broken  voyages,  with  which  many  are  but  too  well 
acquainted. 

The  few  consuls  we  have  had  on  the  coast  have  been  merchants,  who  have  probably 
held  their  commissions  for  the  security  they  yield  to  their  own  interests  and  to  con- 
signments made  to  their  respective  houses ;  while  the  whaler,  who  brings  them  no 
profit,  can  receive  but  little  of  their  attention.  Their  views  are  limited  to  their  own 
sphere  of  operations ;  the  difficulties  of  the  whaler,  if  considered  at  all,  are  but  a 
secondary  object.  Yet,  in  a  national  point  of  view,  the  mercantile  interest  of  our 
citizens  on  this  coast  is  vastly  inferior  to  that  of  those  engaged  in  the  fisheries. 

A  few  items  will  be  sufficient  to  prove  this  fact :  In  the  single  port  of  Payta,  in  the 
year  1831,  the  amount  of  tonnage  of  our  whale  ships  amounted  to  twenty-four  thou- 
sand four  hundred  and  thirty-nine,  having  on  board  forty-six  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  ninety-five  barrels  of  oil.  For  the  year  1832,  twenty-seven  thousand  one  hundred 
tons  of  shipping,  and  forty  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety-five  barrels  of  oil.  For 
the  year  1833,  up  to  October,  t;wenty  thousand  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  tons,  and 
thirty-six  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  of  oil. 

Yet,  at  a  point  that  is,  and  ever  must  be,  of  such  great  importance,  so  often  the  seat 
of  abuse  and  irregularity,  as  well  on  the  part  of  the  local  authorities  as  among  our  own 
shipping,  we  have  no  accredited  agent  to  look  after  these  immense  interests. 
In  a  letter  received  by  Commodore  Downes,  from  J.  C.  Jones,  our  consul  at  Oahu, 


ADDRESS.  65 

flourishing  settlement,)  in  September,  1833,  the  United  States 
frigate  Potomac  came  nigh  running  on  a  dangerous  reef,  of  which 
no  chart  gave  indication.  When  all  these  and  many  other  places 

the  latter  gentleman  says,  "I  have  never  before  seen  the  importance  of  having  a  vessel 
of  war  stationed  at  these  islands  for  the  protection  of  the  whale  fishery,  as  at  the 
present  period.  Scarcely  has  there  been  one  of  our  whalers  in  the  harbour,  that  has 
not  experienced  more  or  less  difficulty.  I  have,  at  one  time,  had  sixty  Americans 
confined  in  the  fort ;  and  hardly  a  day  has  passed  that  I  have  not  been  compelled  to 
visit  one  or  more  ships  to  quell  a  mutiny,  or  compel,  by  force,  whole  crews  to  do  their 
duty,  who  had  united  to  work  no  longer.  I  should  say,  too,  that  there  are  more  than 
one  hundred  deserters  now  on  shore  from  our  ships,  regular  outlaws,  ready  to  embark 
in  any  adventure.  Much  of  this  trouble  could  have  been  avoided,  had  we  a  ship  of 
war  here  at  the  season  when  the  whale  ships  visit  the  islands ;  and  I  hope  you  will  be 
disposed  to  send  us  one  from  your  squadron  the  next  spring,  as  I  feel  assured  that  a 
vessel  of  war  will  then  be  more  needed  than  ever." 

J.  Lennox  Kennedy,  our  consul  at  the  port  of  Mazatlan,  in  a  letter  dated  May  16th, 
1833,  makes  a  similar  request,  on  account  of  the  frequent  revolutions  that  are  taking 
place  in  the  country ;  while  from  the  port  of  Callao,  five  American  masters  of  vessels 
urge  a  like  petition,  complaining  of  the  hardships  they  suffer  from  a  class  of  worthless 
keepers  of  grog-shops,  who  entice  away  their  men,  to  the  great  hazard,  and  even  ruin, 
of  their  voyages. 

On  the  receipt  of  the  above  from  the  masters  of  the  whale  ships,  the  commodore 
made  a  communication  to  the  commandant  of  marines  at  Callao,  which  by  the  latter 
was  forwarded  to  the  government  at  Lima ;  and  in  a  few  days,  such  regulations  were 
effected,  under  the  superintendence  of  the  port  captain,  as  effectually  checked,  for  a 
time,  the  abuses  complained  of.  The  readiness  with  which  the  local  authorities  inter- 
fered in  this  matter,  on  the  representation  of  the  commodore,  furnishes  an  evidence  of 
what  might  be  effected  if  we  had  commercial  agents  who  attended  to  their  duties. 

The  mere  appointment  of  a  consul,  as  our  consuls  are  appointed  and  supported  in 
other  places,  will  not  answer  for  our  extended  commercial  operations  in  these  seas. 
We  require  a  consul  at  the  islands,  one  in  Payta,  and  another  in  Talluahana,  Chili, 
on  salaries  which  shall  command  the  services  of  able  men,  and  make  them  inde- 
pendent in  action  :  men,  whose  politeness  and  attention  to  their  countrymen  shall  not 
be  proportioned,  as  it  now  is,  to  the  amount  of  consignments  made  to  their  respective 
commission  houses. 

The  sick  also  should  be  objects  of  special  attention.  In  Payta  we  should  have  an 
hospital  on  a  simple  and  economical  plan ;  not  a  foreign  port  on  the  globe  requires 
one  more.  There  are  more  than  six  thousand  seamen  constantly  traversing  the  ocean 
from  Japan  to  this  port,  visiting  each  in  the  alternate  changes  of  season,  engaged  in 
business  at  all  times  adventurous,  and  often  exceedingly  hazardous ;  and  yet,  within 
this  mighty  range,  there  is  not  a  spot  where  the  disabled  or  infirm  sailor  can  be  placed, 
with  perfect  assurance  of  being  well  attended.  The  consequence  is,  frequent  in- 
stances of  suffering  and  death,  under  the  most  melancholy  circumstances,  but  for 
which  neither  the  owners  nor  the  captains  are  responsible.  The  mild  and  healthy 
climate  of  Payta  would  be  in  favour  of  such  an  institution,  and  the  expense  would  be 
comparatively  trifling. 

9 


66  ADDRESS. 

lying  under  the  very  bows  of  our  public  vessels  on  the  Pacific 
station  shall  have  been  carefully  examined  and  reported  on,  it  will 
be  time  to  talk  about  extending  their  labours  over  the  almost 
boundless  seas,  with  their  countless  islands  to  the  west,  or  to  con- 
trol and  direct  the  movements  of  others  sent  for  that  purpose. 

But  it  has  likewise  been  urged,  that  one  of  our  public  ships 
might  return  to  the  United  States  by  way  of  the  islands,  and 
we  believe  that  one  has  actually  been  ordered  to  do  so.  Such  a 
step  will  effect  little  towards  remedying  the  evils  complained  of. 
Let  us  inspect  the  chart.  The  Feejee  Islands  lie  more  than  one 
hundred  degrees  west  of  the  coast  whence  such  vessel  must  sail. 
With  a  supply  of  stores  calculated  to  last  eight  months,  at  farthest, 
the  entire  circumnavigation  of  the  globe  before  her,  and  the  period 
for  her  return  home  nearly  at  hand,  what  time  can  she  find  to  ac- 
complish anything  among  those  islands,  where  so  much  is  required? 
Unacquainted  with  the  language  of  the  natives,  and  unprovided 
with  interpreters,  without  the  necessary  preparations  for  making 
sketches  and  surveys,  she  may  land  at  a  few  points,  return  home, 
make  her  report  to  the  department  as  fully  as  circumstances  will 
permit,  and  yet,  as  to  any  positive  benefit  accruing  therefrom  to 
our  commerce,  or  any  assistance  to  be  rendered  the  future  naviga- 
tor, the  results  would  not  be  more  permanent  than  her  rapidly 
obliterated  wake  on  the  surface  of  the  deep. 

No!  it  is  useless  to  dally  with  this  subject  any  longer,  and  to 
propose  evasive  and  inefficient  modes  of  compassing  benefits, 
which  nothing  but  a  generous  and  intelligent  liberality  can  insure. 
Vessels  must  be  fitted  out  expressly  for  this  purpose.  They  must 
be  provided  with  instruments  for  making  sketches  and  surveys  of 
harbours,  and  correcting  the  position  of  reefs  and  islands  on  the 
charts.  Places  affording  wood,  water,  and  refreshments  to  our 
whalemen  and  traders,  should  be  visited  and  carefully  examined 
for  future  use.  Conferences  should  be  held  with  the  natives  of 
the  remotest  groups,  and  their  confidence  gained  as  far  as  possi- 


ADDRESS.  67 

ble,  by  a  judicious  exhibition  of  our  power  and  policy.     Those 
untutored  beings  have  not  always  been  the  first  offenders.*     Much 


*  Although  personal  experience,  during  an  intercourse  of  years  with  our  South  Sea 
whaling  captains,  enables  us  to  bear  testimony  to  their  intelligence,  great  enterprise, 
and  humanity,  as  a  body ;  yet  there  are  necessarily  exceptions  to  this  general  cha- 
racter. Among  a  class  so  daring  and  adventurous,  it  is  not  surprising  that  we  occa- 
sionally meet  with  unprincipled  men — and  what  profession  or  pursuit  in  life  in  which 
they  may  not  be  found  ? — who  require  to  be  held  in  subjection  by  the  arm  of  coercive 
power,  and  the  dread  of  legal  penalties.  To  persons  of  this  stamp,  the  South  Sea 
trade  and  fishery  open  a  wide  field  for  the  indulgence  of  their  vicious  propensities. 
Placed  beyond  the  reach  of  penal  influence,  governed  by  no  other  law  than  their  own 
will,  it  is  not  wonderful  such  men  should  be  guilty  of  oppression  and  violence  in  their 
dealings  with  the  natives.  The  savage  does  not  pause  to  discriminate  between  indi- 
viduals, and  the  flagitious  act  of  one  man  may  consign  hundreds  of  his  fellows  to 
captivity  or  massacre.  From  several  similar  instances  of  wanton  outrage,  the  truth 
of  which  cannot  be  doubted,  we  select  the  following. 

Captain  Barnard,  of  the  ship  Mentor,  left,  as  hostages  at  the  Pelew  Islands,  two  men, 
named  Meader  and  Davis,  together  with  a  lad  named  Alden.  They  were  subse- 
quently placed  under  the  care  of  different  masters ;  the  boy  at  a  spot  considerably 
distant  from  the  others,  where  he  was  occasionally  allowed  to  accompany  the  natives 
in  their  excursions  on  the  water.  Some  time  within  about  a  twelvemonth  of  the 
release  of  Meader  and  Davis,  as  nearly  as  they  could  compute,  a  ship  hove  in  sight  off* 
that  part  of  the  island  where  young  Alden  resided,  and  he  was  taken  out  in  one  of 
three  canoes,  which  were  fitted  out  for  a  friendly  visit  to  the  strangers.  Two  of  the 
canoes  were  old  craft,  but  the  third  was  a  new  and  valuable  one,  belonging  to  the 
chief  who  commanded  the  expedition.  They  boarded  the  ship,  and  the  parties  treated 
each  other  with  reciprocal  kindness.  Some  trading  ensued;  after  which  the  two  old 
canoes  were  ordered  off*  by  the  captain,  while  the  other,  with  its  crew,  including  Alden 
and  the  chief,  was  detained— the  captain  being  desirous  of  purchasing  it.  During  the 
negotiation  for  this  end,  a  gale  arose,  which  continued  with  such  fury  during  four  days, 
that  the  natives  remained  on  board  for  the  time ;  but  no  bargain  was  effected,  the 
chief  prizing  his  canoe  above  the  offer  of  the  captain,  which  was  limited  to  three  or  four 
old  muskets.  At  length,  the  vessel  having  drifted  towards  another  part  of  the  island, 
and  night  approaching,  the  chief  consented  to  make  the  proposed  exchange,  provided 
the  captain  would  agree  to  land  him  and  his  companions  in  the  neighbourhood  of  their 
own  settlement.  It  was  resolved,  however,  to  land  them  at  the  point  nearest  the  ship. 
To  this  the  chief  earnestly  objected,  alleging  that  his  enemies  resided  there,  and  wovJd 
assuredly  put  them  to  death.  Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  tears  and  remonstrances,  they 
were  thrust  into  the  ship's  boat  and  rowed  towards  land.  Having  proceeded  some 
distance,  the  savages  were  driven  overboard  by  their  inhuman  conductors,  and  com- 
pelled to  swim  for  life  into  the  very  arms  of  their  foes.  After  incredible  sufferings 
among  the  coral  rocks,  exhausted  by  long  exertion,  they  were  captured,  or  rather 
picked  up,  by  the  hostile  tribe.  Their  Indian  enemies, -less  cruel  than  their  civilized 
friends,  nursed  their  wounds,  healed  their  lacerated  limbs,  and,  when  their  strength 
permitted,  restored  them  to  their  homes,  though  swollen  and  debilitated.  That  night 
the  vessel  put  to  sea,  taking  away  Alden,  the  canoe,  and  the  promised  remuneration. 


68  ADDRESS. 

of  the  cruel  treatment  experienced  by  persons  who  have  visited 
them  or  have  fallen  unfortunately  into  their  hands,  has  been  in 
flicted  in  the  spirit  of  retaliation.     The  law  of  revenge  is  common 
to  savage  man.     He  visits  the   offender  with  retribution,  in  the 
first  instance  ;  but  if  disappointed  in  this,  he  extends  his  hatred  to 


The  abused  natives,  from  whom  this  statement  was  received,  could  not,  of  course, 
designate  the  ship  by  name,  but  their  description  of  her  appearance  induces  the  sus- 
picion that  she  was  a  whaler.  The  relatives  of  Alden,  who  reside  near  New  Bedford, 
are  not,  as  far  as  we  know,  aware  of  his  subsequent  fate.  The  injured  chief  declares, 
that  he  marked  well  the  features  of  the  captain  and  his  officers,  determined,  should 
opportunity  offer,  to  make  his  spear  drink  their  heart's  blood.  It  is  trusted  that  the 
offenders,  of  whatever  nation  they  may  prove,  will  yet  be  discovered,  and  brought  to 
justice.  This  is  one  flagrant  instance  of  atrocity,  but,  unfortunately,  it  does  not  stand 
alone. 

Captain  Swain,  of  ship  William  Penn,  it  may  be  remembered,  lost  a  boat's  crew  at 
Navigator  Islands.  A  ship,  some  weeks  or  months  previously  to  his  arrival,  had 
touched  there  for  supplies,  on  which  occasion  a  European  resident  went  on  board  as 
interpreter,  and  remained  some  days  assisting  to  promote  the  object  of  the  visit.  On 
taking  leave,  the  captain  offered  him  a  pair  of  duck  trousers  by  way  of  payment  for  his 
services.  The  man  respectfully  submitted  that  the  reward  was  insufficient.  He  was 
told,  that  if  dissatisfied  he  should  soon  have  enough ;  and  thereupon  was  lashed  to  the 
rigging,  unmercifully  flogged,  and  afterwards  sent  on  shore.  The  consequence  of  this 
treatment  was,  without  question,  the  massacre  of  Captain  Swain's  boat  crew,  with 
the  exception  of  a  Sandwich  Islander,  who,  after  being  severely  wounded,  was  spared 
on  account  of  the  colour  of  his  skin,  and  afterwards  brought  off  by  the  ship  Vincennes. 

The  facts  of  other  aggravated  cases  have  reached  the  public  ear,  the  guilt  of  which, 
we  regret  to  say,  is  imputed  to  the  masters  of  one  or  two  whaling  vessels.  At  one  of 
the  islands,  a  few  years  ago,  after  a  friendly  interchange  of  civilities  between  the  natives 
and  their  visiters,  a  large  party  of  trie  former  were  carried  on  board  ship  as  she  was 
getting  under  way,  and,  after  having  been  cruelly  whipped,  without  the  slightest  pro- 
vocation, were  driven  overboard  by  scores,  many  of  them  receiving  severe  injuries. 

On  another  occasion,  when  a  ship,  but  not  under  our  flag,  had  obtained  supplies, 
and  her  captain  was  leaving  the  shore  in  the  last  boat,  he  wantonly  levelled  his  gun 
and  shot  down  a  harmless,  unoffending  native,  who  was  unconsciously  leaning  against 
a  tree  on  the  beach.  The  poor  fellow  was  carried  off  by  his  companions,  apparently 
dead.  What  feeling  could  such  cold-blooded  butchery  generate  but  a  fierce  thirst  for 
revenge,  to  be  wreaked  on  the  first  white  man  who  should  fall  within  their  grasp  ? 
When  a  reason  was  asked  for  this  act  of  fiendish  brutality,  it  was  given  with  the 
utmost  sang1  froid — "  Oh,  it  was  nothing  but  an  Indian." 

With  a  knowledge  of  circumstances  like  these,  and  of  what  must  naturally  be  their 
consequences,  it  becomes  apparent  that  an  efficient  naval  force  is  required  in  the  South 
and  Pacific  Seas,  not  only  for  the  greater  safety  of  our  commerce,  and  as  a  check  upon 
the  savages,  but  for  another  reason,  viz.,  to  protect  the  latter  against  the  wanton  cruelty 
of  men  claiming  the  appellation  of  civilized,  and  thus  to  remove  the  cause  which  has 
led  to  so  much  suffering  and  slaughter. 


ADDRESS.  69 

his  relations  and  tribe.  In  this  code  there  is  no  statute  of  limita- 
tions. The  lapse  of  years  or  even  of  ages  cannot  soften  the  rigour 
of  unpropitiated  vengeance.  The  claim  is  transmitted  from  father 
to  son,  with  a  faithfulness  and  tenacity  of  purpose  that  insures 
ample  reprisal  at  the  earliest  opportunity,  however  long  post- 
poned. What  delicate  perception  of  right  and  wrong,  what  mild 
forbearance,  and  what  decision  of  character,  are  requisite  to  acquire 
the  good-will  of  a  people  thus  singularly  constituted,  and  banish 
distrust  from  their  bosoms  !  Can  any  one  imagine  that  time  and 
a  special  equipment  would  not  be  necessary  to  enable  an  expedi- 
tion to  produce  its  proper  effects  ? 

Presents  should  be  judiciously  distributed,  especially  among 
those  by  whom  our  shipwrecked  mariners  have  been  hospitably 
received.  The  promises  made  to  chiefs  to  procure  the  restoration 
of  prisoners,  should  be  scrupulously  fulfilled,  and  this  policy 
should  be  observed  in  the  ransom  of  European  sailors  as  well  as 
of  our  own.  It  will  be  a  matter  of  national  pride  that  our  country 
should  be  the  first  to  set  the  example  of  an  enterprise  destined  to 
retrieve  the  character  of  civilized  man,  and  in  p nme  measure  atone 
for  the  accumulated  injuries  which  centuries  have  seen  of  daily 
increasing  enormity. 

Animals  should  be  transferred  from  one  island  to  another,  fol- 
lowing the  example  of  Cook  in  1774,  who  left  stock  in  New 
Zealand,  the  Sandwich  and  Society  Islands,  which,  by  their 
increase,  have  afforded  supplies  to  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  our  seamen  for  the  last  thirty  years.  This  measure  is 
the  more  important,  as  our  vessels  are  seeking  places  of  refresh- 
ment nearer  and  more  closely  connected  with  the  field  of  their 
pursuits  west  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  some,  as  we  are  aware,  that  matters  of  this 
description  are  best  left  to  individual  enterprise,  and  that  the  inter- 
ference of  government  is  unnecessary.  Such  persons  do  not 
reflect,  as  they  ought,  that  all  measures  of  public  utility  which 


70  ADDRESS. 

from  any  cause  cannot  be  accomplished  by  individuals,  become 
the  legitimate  objects  of  public  care,  in  reference  to  which  the 
government  is  bound  to  employ  the  means  put  into  its  hands  for 
the  general  good.  Indeed,  while  there  remains  a  spot  of  untrod- 
den earth  accessible  to  man,  no  enlightened,  and  especially  com- 
mercial and  free  people,  should  withhold  its  contributions  for 
exploring  it,  wherever  that  spot  may  be  found  on  the  earth,  from 
the  equator  to  the  poles  ! 

Have  we  not,  then,  shown  that  this  expedition  is  called  for  by 
our  extensive  interests  in  those  seas — interests  which,  from  small 
beginnings,  have  increased  astonishingly  in  the  lapse  of  half  a 
century,  and  which  are  every  day  augmenting  and  diffusing  their 
beneficial  results  throughout  the  country  ?  May  we  not  venture 
on  still  higher  grounds  ? — Had  we  no  commerce  to  be  benefited, 
would  it  not  still  be  honourable ;  still  worthy  the  patronage  of 
congress ;  still  the  best  possible  employment  of  a  portion  of  our 
naval  force  ? 

Have  we  not  shown,  that  this  expedition  is  called  for  by  national 
dignity  and  honour  ?  Have  we  not  shown,  that  our  commanding 
position  and  rank  among  the  commercial  nations  of  the  earth, 
makes  it  only  equitable  that  we  should  take  our  share  in  exploring 
and  surveying  new  islands,  remote  seas,  and,  as  yet,  unknown 
territory  ?  Who  so  uninformed  as  to  assert,  that  all  this  has  been 
done?  Who  so  presumptuous  as  to  set  limits  to  knowledge, 
which,  by  a  wise  law  of  Providence,  can  never  cease  ?  As  long 
as  there  is  mind  to  act  upon  matter,  the  realms  of  science  must 
be  enlarged ;  and  nature,  and  her  laws  be  better  understood,  and 
more  understandingly  applied  to  the  great  purpose  of  life.  If  the 
nation  were  oppressed  with  debt,  it  might,  indeed  it  would,  still  be 
our  duty  to  do  something,  though  the  fact,  perhaps,  would  ope- 
rate as  a  reason  for  a  delay  of  action.  But  have  we  any  thing  of 
this  kind  to  allege,  when  the  country  is  prosperous,  without  a 
parallel  in  the  annals  of  nations  ? 


ADDRESS.  71 

Is  not  every  department  of  industry  in  a  state  of  improvement '. 
Not  only  two,  but  a  hundred  blades  of  grass  grow  where  one  grew 
when  we  became  a  nation ;  and  our  manufactures  have  increased, 
not  less  to  astonish  the  philosopher  and  patriot  than  to  benefit  the 
nation;  and  have  not  agriculture  and  manufactures,  wrought  up 
by  a  capital  of  intelligence  and  enterprise,  given  a  direct  impulse 
to  our  commerce,  a  consequence  to  our  navy  ?  and  if  so,  do  they 
not  impose  new  duties  on  every  statesman  ? 

Again,  have  we  not  shown  that  this  expedition  is  demanded  by 
public  opinion,  expressed  in  almost  every  form  ?  Have  not  socie- 
ties for  the  collection  and  diffusion  of  knowledge,  towns  and  legis- 
latures, and  the  commanding  voice  of  public  opinion,  as  seen 
through  the  public  press,  sanctioned  and  called  for  the  enterprise  ? 
Granting,  as  all  must,  there  is  no  dissenting  voice  upon  the  sub- 
ject, that  all  are  anxious  that  jour  country  should  do  something 
for  the  great  good  of  the  human  family,  is  not  now  the  time,  while 
the  treasury,  like  the  Nile  in  fruitful  seasons,  is  overflowing  its 
banks  ?  If  this  question  is  settled,  and  I  believe  it  is,  the  next  is, 
what  shall  be  the  character  of  the  expedition  ?  The  answer  is  in 
the  minds  of  all — one  worthy  of  the  nation  !  And  what  would  be 
worthy  of  the  nation  ?  Certainly  nothing  on  a  scale  that  has  been 
attempted  by  any  other  country.  If  true  to  our  national  character, 
to  the  spirit  of  the  age  we  live  in,  the  first  expedition  sent  out  by 
this  great  republic  must  not  fall  short  in  any  department — from  a 
defective  organization,  or  from  adopting  too  closely  the  efforts  of 
other  nations  as  models  for  our  own.  We  do,  we  always  have 
done  things  best,  when  we  do  them  in  our  own  way.  The  spirit 
evinced  by  others  is  worthy  of  all  imitation  ;  but  not  their  equip- 
ments. We  must  look  at  those  seas  ;  what  we  have  there ;  what 
requires  to  be  done; — and  then  apply  the  requisite  means  to 
accomplish  the  ends.  It  would  not  only  be  inglorious  simply  to 
follow  a  track  pointed  out  by  others,  but  could  never  content  a 
people  proud  of  their  fame  and  rejoicing  in  their  strength  !  They 


72  ADDRESS. 

would  hurl  to  everlasting  infamy  the  imbecile  voyagers,  who  had 
only  coasted  where  others  had  piloted.  No ;  nothing  but  a  goodly 
addition  to  the  stock  of  present  knowledge,  would  answer  for  those, 
most  moderate  in  their  expectations. 

But,  not  only  to  correct  the  errors  of  former  navigators,  and  to 
enlarge  and  correct  the  charts  of  every  portion  of  sea  and  land  that 
the  expedition  might  visit,  and  other  duties  to  which  we  have 
alluded;  but  also  to  collect,  preserve,  and  arrange  every  thing 
valuable  in  the  whole  range  of  natural  history,  from  the  minute 
madrapore  to  the  huge  spermaceti,  and  accurately  to  describe  that 
which  cannot  be  preserved ;  to  secure  whatever  may  be  hoped  for 
in  natural  philosophy ;  to  examine  vegetation,  from  the  hundred 
mosses  of  the  rocks,  throughout  all  the  classes  of  shrub,  flower, 
and  tree,  up  to  the  monarch  of  the  forest ;  to  study  man  in  his 
physical  and  mental  powers,  in  his  manners,  habits,  disposition, 
and  social  and  political  relations ;  and  above  all,  in  the  philosophy 
of  his  language,  in  order  to  trace  his  origin  from  the  early  families 
of  the  old  world ;  to  examine  the  phenomena  of  winds  and  tides, 
of  heat  and  cold,  of  light  and  darkness ;  to  add  geological  to  other 
surveys,  when  it  can  be  done  in  safety ;  to  examine  the  nature  of 
soils — if  not  see  if  they  can  be  planted  with  success — yet  to  see 
if  they  contain  any  thing  which  may  be  transplanted  with  utility 
to  our  own  country ;  in  fine,  there  should  be  science  enough  to 
bear  upon  every  thing  that  may  present  itself  for  investigation. 

How,  it  may  be  asked,  is  all  this  to  be  effectea  ?  By  an  en- 
lightened body  of  naval  officers,  joining  harmoniously  with  a  corps 
of  scientific  men,  imbued  with  the  love  of  science,  and  sufficiently 
learned  to  pursue  with  success  the  branches  to  which  they  should 
be  designated.  This  body  of  men  should  be  carefully  selected, 
and  made  sufficiently  numerous  to  secure  the  great  objects  of  the 
expedition.  These  lights  of  science,  and  the  naval  officers,  so  far 
from  interfering  with  each  others'  fame,  would,  like  stars  in  the 
milky- way,  shed  a  lustre  on  each  other,  and  all  on  their  country ! 


ADDRESS.  73 

These  men  may  be  obtained,  if  sufficient  encouragement  is 
offered  as  an  inducement.  They  should  be  well  paid.  Scholars  of 
sufficient  attainments  to  qualify  them  for  such  stations,  do  not  hang 
loosely  upon  society  ;  they  must  have  fixed  upon  their  professions 
or  business  in  life  :  and  what  they  are  called  to  do,  must  be  from 
the  efforts  of  ripe  minds ;  not  the  experiments  of  youthful  ones  to 
prepare  them  for  usefulness.  If  we  have  been  a  by-word  and  a 
reproach  among  nations  for  pitiful  remuneration  of  intellectual 
labours,  this  expedition  will  afford  an  excellent  opportunity  of 
wiping  it  away.  The  stimulus  of  fame  is  not  a  sufficient  motive 
for  a  scientific  man  to  leave  his  family  and  friends,  and  all  the 
charms  and  duties  of  social  life,  for  years  together ;  but  it  must  be 
united  to  the  recompense  of  pecuniary  reward,  to  call  forth  all  the 
powers  of  an  opulent  mind.  The  price  you  pay  will,  in  some 
measure,  show  your  appreciation  of  such  pursuits.  We  have  no 
stars  and  ribands,  no  hereditary  titles,  to  reward  our  men  of  genius 
for  adding  to  the  knowledge  or  to  the  comfort  of  mankind,  and  to 
the  honour  of  the  nation.  We  boast  of  our  men  of  science,  our 
philosophers,  and  artists,  when  they  have  paid  the  last  tribute  to 
envy  by  their  death.  When  mouldering  in  their  graves,  they  enjoy 
a  reputation,  which  envy  and  malice  and  detraction  may  hawk  at 
and  tear,  but  cannot  harm  !  Let  us  be  more  just,  and  stamp  the 
value  we  set  on  science  in  a  noble  appreciation  of  it,  and  by  the 
price  we  are  willing  to  pay. 

It  has  been  justly  remarked,  that  those  who  enlighten  their 
country  by  their  talents,  strengthen  it  by  their  philosophy,  enrich 
it  by  their  science,  and  adorn  it  by  their  genius,  are  Atlases,  who 
support  the  name  and  dignity  of  their  nation,  and  transmit  it  un- 
impared  to  future  generations.  Their  noblest  part  lives  and  is 
active,  when  they  are  no  more  ;  and  their  names  and  contributions 
to  knowledge,  are  legacies  bequeathed  to  the  whole  world !  To 
those  who  shall  thus  labour  to  enrich  our  country,  if  we  would  be 
D  10 


74  ADDRESS. 

just,  we  must  be  liberal,  by  giving  to  themselves  and  families  an 
honourable  support  while  engaged  in  these  arduous  duties  ! 

If  the  objects  of  the  expedition  are  noble,  if  the  inducements  to 
undertake  it  are  of  a  high  order — and  we  believe  there  can  be  no 
difference  of  opinion  ort  this  point — most  assuredly  the  means  to 
accomplish  them  should  be  adequate.  No  narrow  views,  no  scanty 
arrangements,  should  enter  the  minds  of  these  who  have  the  plan- 
ning and  directing  of  the  enterprise  At  such  a  time,  and  in  such 
a  cause,  liberality  is  economy,  and  parsimony  is  extravagance. 

Again,  if  the  object  of  the  expedition  were  simply  to  attain  a 
high  southern  latitude,  then  two  small  brigs  or  barks  would  be 
quite  sufficient.  If  to  visit  a  few  points  among  the  islands,  a  sloop 
of  war  might  answer  the  purpose.  But  are  these  the  objects  t 
We  apprehend  they  only  form  a  part.  From  the  west  coast  of 
South  America,  running  down  the  longitude  among  the  islands,  on 
both  sides  of  the  equator,  though  more  especially  south,  to  the 
very  shores  of  Asia,  is  the  field  that  lies  open  before  us,  indepen- 
dent of  the  higher  latitudes  south,  of  which  we  shall  speak  in  the 
conclusion  of  our  remarks.  Reflecting  on  the  picture  we  have 
sketched  of  our  interests  in  that  immense  region,  all  must  admit, 
that  the  armament  of  the  expedition  should  be  sufficient  to  protect 
our  flag ;  to  succour  the  unfortunate  of  every  nation,  who  may  be 
found  on  desolate  islands,  or  among  hordes  of  savages ;  a  power 
that  would  be  sufficient  by  the  majesty  of  its  appearance,  to  awe 
into  respect  and  obedience  the  fierce  and  turbulent,  and  to  give 
facilities  to  all  engaged  in  the  great  purposes  of  the  voyage.  The 
amount  of  this  power  is  a  question  upon  which  there  can  be  but 
little  difference  of  opinion,  among  those  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  subject ;  the  best  informed  are  unanimous  in  their  opin- 
ion, that  there  should  be  a  well-appointed  frigate,  and  five  other 
vessels — twice  that  number  would  find  enough,  and  more  than 
they  could  do.  The  frigate  would  form  the  nucleus,  round  which 
the  smaller  vessels  should  perform  the  labours  to  which  we  have 


ADDRESS.  75 

already  alluded,  and  which  you  will  find  pointed  out  in  all  the 
memorials  and  reports  hitherto  made  on  this  subject,  and  which 
may  be  found  among  the  printed  documents  on  your  tables. 
Some  might  say,  and  we  have  heard  such  things  said,  that  this 
equipment  would  savour  of  individual  pride  in  the  commander ;  but 
they  forget,  that  the  calculations  of  the  wise  are  generally  secured 
by  the  strength  of  their  measure.  The  voyage  is  long — the  rest- 
ing places  uncertain,  which  makes  the  employment  of  a  storeship, 
also,  a  matter  of  prudence  and  economy.  It  would  not  do  to  be 
anxious  about  food,  while  the  expedition  was  in  the  search  of  an 
extended  harvest  of  knowledge. 

The  expectations  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  from  such 
an  expedition,  most  unquestionably  would  be  great.  From  their 
education  and  past  exertions  through  all  the  history  of  our  national 
growth,  the  people  are  prepared  to  expect  that  every  public  func- 
tionary should  discharge  his  duty  to  the  utmost  extent  of  his 
physical  and  mental  powers.  They  will  not  be  satisfied  with  any 
thing  short  of  all  that  men  can  perform.  The  appalling  weight 
of  responsibility  of  those  who  serve  their  country  in  such  an  ex- 
pedition, is  strikingly  illustrated  by  the  instructions  given  to  Lewis 
and  Clarke,  in  1803,  by  President  Jefferson.  The  extended 
views  and  mental  grasp  of  this  distinguished  philosopher  no  one 
will  question,  nor  can  any  one  believe  that  he  would  be  unneces- 
sarily minute. 

The  sage,  who  had  conceived  and  matured  the  plan  of  the  ex- 
pedition to  the  far  west,  in  his  instructions  to  its  commander  under 
his  own  signature,  has  left  us  a  model  worthy  of  all  imitation. 
With  the  slight  variations  growing  out  of  time  and  place,  how  appli- 
cable would  those  instructions  be  for  the  guidance  of  the  enterprise 
we  have  at  present  in  view  ?  The  doubts  of  some  politicians,  that 
this  government  has  no  power  to  encourage  scientific  inquiry, 
most  assuredly  had  no  place  in  the  mind  of  that  great  apostle  of 
liberty,  father  of  democracy,  and  strict  constructionist !  We 


76  ADDRESS. 

Claim  no  wider  range  than  he  has  sanctioned ;  including  as  he 
does,  animate  and  inanimate  nature,  the  heavens  above,  and  all  on 
the  earth  beneath  !  The  character  and  value  of  that  paper  are  not 
sufficiently  known.  No  extracts  or  condensations  can  do  justice 
to  it,  or  to  the  memory  of  its  illustrious  author ;  and  I  feel  confi- 
dent that  no  apology  can  be  deemed  necessary  in  bringing  before 
you  the  entire  document.  Among  all  the  records  of  his  genius, 
his  patriotism,  and  his  learning  to  be  found  in  our  public  archives, 
this  paper  deserves  to  take,  and  in  time  will  take  rank,  second 
only  to  the  Declaration  of  our  Independence.  The  first,  imbodied 
the  spirit  of  our  free  institutions  and  self-government ;  the  latter, 
sanctioned  those  liberal  pursuits,  without  a  just  appreciation  of 
which,  our  institutions  cannot  be  preserved,  or  if  they  can,  would 
be  scarcely  worth  preserving. 

"To  MERIWETHER  LEWIS,  ESQ., 

"  Captain  United  States  Infantry,  fyc.,  fyc. 

"Your  situation  as  secretary  to  the  President  of  the  United  States 
has  made  you  acquainted  with  the  objects  of  my  confidential  mes- 
sage, of  January  18,  1803,  to  the  legislature;  you  have  seen  the 
act  they  passed,  which,  though  expressed  in  general  terms,  was 
meant  to  sanction  those  objects,  and  you  are  appointed  to  carry 
them  into  execution. 

"Instruments  for  ascertaining,  by  celestial  observations,  the 
geography  of  the  country  through  which  you  will  pass,  have  been 
already  provided.  Light  articles  for  barter  and  presents  among 
the  Indians,  arms  for  your  attendants,  say  from  ten  to  twelve  men, 
boats,  tents,  and  other  travelling  apparatus,  with  ammunitions,  medi- 
cine, surgical  instruments,  and  provisions,  you  will  have  prepared, 
with  such  aids  as  the  Secretary  at  War  can  yield  in  his  depart- 
ment ;  and  from  him  also,  you  will  receive  authority  to  engage 
among  our  troops,  by  voluntary  agreement,  the  number  of  attend- 
ants above  mentioned,  over  whom  you,  as  their  commanding 


ADDRESS.  77 

officer,  are  invested  with  all  the  powers  the  laws  give  in  such  a 
case. 

"As  your  movements,  while  within  the  limits  of  the  United 
States,  will  be  better  directed  by  occasional  communications, 
adapted  to  circumstances  as  they  arise,  they  will  not  be  noticed 
here.  What  follows  will  respect  your  proceedings  after  your 
departure  from  the  United  States. 

"Your  mission  has  been  communicated  to  the  ministers  here 
from  France,  Spain,  and  Great  Britain,  and  through  them  to  their 
governments;  and  such  assurances  given  them  as  to  its  objects, 
as  we  trust  will  satisfy  them.  The  country  of  Louisiana  having 
been  ceded  by  Spain  to  France,  the  passports  you  have  from  the 
minister  of  France,  the  representative  of  the  present  sovereign  of 
the  country,  will  be  a  protection  with  all  its  subjects;  and  that 
from  the  minister  of  England  will  entitle  you  to  the  friendly  aid 
of  any  traders  of  that  allegiance  with  whom  you  may  happen  to 
meet. 

"The  object  of  your  mission  is  to  explore  the  Missouri  river, 
and  such  principal  streams  of  it,  as,  by  its  course  and  communica- 
tion with  the  waters  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  whether  the  Columbia, 
Oregon,  Colorado,  or  any  other  river,  may  offer  the  most  direct 
and  practicable  water  communication  across  the  continent,  for  the 
purposes  of  commerce. 

"  Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  you  will  take  obser- 
vations of  latitude  and  longitude,  at  all  remarkable  points  on  the 
river,  and  especially  at  the  mouths  of  rivers,  at  rapids,  at  islands, 
and  other  places  and  objects  distinguished  by  such  natural  marks 
and  characters,  of  a  durable  kind,  as  that  they  may  with  certainty 
be  recognised  hereafter.  The  courses  of  the  river  between  these 
points  of  observation  may  be  supplied  by  the  compass,  the  log- 
line,  and  by  time,  corrected  by  the  observations  themselves.  The 
variations  of  the  needle,  too,  in  different  places  should  be  noticed. 

"The  interesting  points  of  the  portage  between  the  heads  of  the 


78  ADDRESS. 

Missouri,  and  of  the  water  offering  the  best  communication  with 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  should  also  be  fixed  by  observation;  and  the 
course  of  that  water  to  the  ocean,  in  the  same  manner  as  that  of 
the  Missouri. 

"Your  observations  are  to  be  taken  with  great  pains  and  accu- 
racy; to  be  entered  distinctly  and  intelligibly  for  others  as  well  as 
yourself;  to  comprehend  all  the  elements  necessary,  with  the  aid 
of  the  usual  tables,  to  fix  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  the  places  at 
which  they  were  taken ;  and  are  to  be  rendered  to  the  war  office, 
for  the  purpose  of  having  the  calculations  made  concurrently  by 
proper  persons  within  the  United  States.  Several  copies  of  these, 
as  well  as  of  your  other  notes,  should  be  made  at  leisure  times, 
and  put  into  the  care  of  your  most  trustworthy  attendants  to 
guard,  by  multiplying  them  against  the  accidental  losses  to  which 
they  will  be  exposed.  A  further  guard  would  be,  that  one  of 
these  copies  be  on  the  cuticular  membranes  of  the  paper-birch,  as 
less  liable  to  injury  from  damp  than  common  paper. 

"The  commerce  which  may  be  carried  on  with  the  people  in- 
habiting the  line  you  will  pursue,  renders  a  knowledge  of  those 
people  important.  You  will,  therefore,  endeavour  to  make  your- 
self acquainted,  as  far  as  a  diligent  pursuit  of  your  journey  shall 
admit,  with  the  names  of  the  nations  and  their  numbers ; 

"The  extent  and  limits  of  their  possessions ; 

"  Their  relations  with  other  tribes  or  nations ; 

"Their  language,  traditions,  monuments; 

"Their  ordinary  occupations  in  agriculture,  fishing,  hunting, 
war,  arts,  and  the  implements  for  these ; 

"Their  food,  clothing,  and  domestic  accommodations  ; 

"The  diseases  prevalent  among  them,  and  the  remedies  they 
use ; 

"Moral  and  physical  circumstances  which  distinguish  them  from 
the  tribes  we  know ; 

"Peculiarities  in  their  laws,  customs,  and  dispositions; 


ADDRESS.  79 

"And  articles  of  commerce  they  may  need  or  furnish,  and  to 
what  extent. 

"  A.nd,  considering  the  interest  which  every  nation  has  in  extend- 
ing and  strengthening  the  authority  of  reason  and  justice  among  the 
people  around  them,  it  will  be  useful  to  acquire  what  knowledge 
you  can  of  the  state  of  morality,  religion,  and  information  among 
them ;  as  it  may  better  enable  those  who  may  endeavour  to  civil- 
ize and  instruct  them,  to  adopt  their  measures  to  the  existing 
notions  and  practices  of  those  on  whom  they  are  to  operate. 

"Other  objects  worthy  of  notice  will  be  — 

"The  soil  and  face  of  the  country,  its  growth  and  vegetable 
productions,  especially  those  not  of  the  United  States ; 

"  The  animals  of  the  country  generally,  and  especially  those  not 
known  in  the  United  States  ; 

"  The  remains  and  accounts  of  any  which  may  be  deemed  rare 
or  extinct ; 

"  The  mineral  productions  of  every  kind,  but  more  particularly 
metals,  limestone,  pit-coal,  saltpetre ;  salines  and  mineral  waters, 
noting  the  temperature  of  the  last,  and  such  circumstances  as  may 
indicate  their  character ; 

"  Volcanic  appearances  ; 

"Climate,  as  characterized  by  the  thermometer,  by  the  propor- 
tion of  rainy,  cloudy,  and  clear  days ;  by  lightning,  hail,  snow, 
ice ;  by  the  access  and  recess  of  frost ;  by  the  winds  prevailing  at 
different  seasons ;  the  dates  at  which  particular  plants  put  forth, 
or  lose  their  flower  or  leaf;  times  of  appearance  of  particular 
birds,  reptiles,  or  insects. 

"Although  your  route  will  be  along  the  channel  of  the  Missouri, 
yet  you  will  endeavour  to  inform  yourself,  by  inquiry,  of  the  char- 
acter and  extent  of  the  country  watered  by  its  branches,  and 
especially  on  its  southern  side.  The  North  river,  or  Rio  Bravo, 
which  runs  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  the  North  river,  or  Rio 
Colorado,  which  runs  into  the*  Gulf  of  California,  are  understood 


80  ADDRESS. 

to  be  the  principal  streams  heading  opposite  to  the  waters  of 
the  Missouri,  and  running  southwardly.  Whether  the  dividing 
grounds,  between  the  Missouri  and  them,  are  mountains  or  flat 
lands,  what  are  their  distance  from  the  Missouri,  the  character  of 
the  intermediate  country,  and  the  people  inhabiting  it,  are  worthy 
of  particular  inquiry.  The  northern  waters  of  the  Missouri  are 
less  to  be  inquired  after,  because  they  have  been  ascertained  to  a 
considerable  degree,  and  are  still  in  a  course  of  ascertainment  by 
English  traders  and  travellers ,'  but  if  you  can  learn  any  thing 
certain  of  the  most  northern  source  of  the  Mississippi,  and  of  its 
position  relatively  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  it  will  be  interesting 
to  us.  Some  account  too,  of  the  path  of  the  Canadian  traders  from 
the  Mississippi,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ouisconsin  to  where  it  strikes 
the  Missouri,  and  of  the  soil  and  rivers  in  its  course,  is  desirable. 
"In  all  your  intercourse  with  the  natives,  treat  them  in  the 
most  friendly  and  conciliatory  manner  which  their  own  conduct 
will  admit;  allay  all  jealousies  as  to  the  object  of  your  journey; 
satisfy  them  of  its  innocence ;  make  them  acquainted  with  the 
position,  extent,  character,  peaceable  and  commercial  dispositions 
of  the  United  States ;  of  our  wish  to  be  neighbourly,  friendly,  and 
useful  to  them,  and  of  our  disposition  to  a  commercial  intercourse 
with  them ;  confer  with  them  on  the  points  most  convenient  as 
mutual  emporiums,  and  the  articles  of  most  desirable  interchange 
for  them  and  us.  If  a  few  of  their  influential  chiefs,  within  prac- 
ticable distance,  wish  to  visit  us,  arrange  such  a  visit  with  them, 
and  furnish  them  with  authority  to  call  on  our  officers  on  their  en- 
tering the  United  States,  to  have  them  conveyed  to  this  place  at 
the  public  expense.  If  any  of  them  should  wish  to  have  some 
of  their  young  people  brought  up  with  us,  and  taught  such  arts 
as  may  be  useful  to  them,  we  will  receive,  instruct,  and  take  care 
of  them.  Such  a  mission,  whether  of  influential  chiefs,  or  of 
young  people,  would  give  some  security  to  your  own  party. 
Carry  with  you  some  matter  of  the  kinepox ;  inform  those  of 


ADDRESS.  gl 

them  with  whom  you  may  be  of  its  efficacy  as  a  preservative 
from  the  smallpox,  and  instruct  and  encourage  them  in  the  use 
of  it.  This  may  be  especially  done  wherever  you  winter. 

"As  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  foresee  in  what  manner  you  will 
be  received  by  those  people,  whether  with  hospitality  or  hostility, 
so  is  it  impossible  to  prescribe  the  exact  degree  of  perseverance 
with  which  you  are  to  pursue  your  journey.  We  value  too  much 
the  lives  of  citizens  to  offer  them  to  probable  destruction.  Your 
numbers  will  be  sufficient  to  secure  you  against  the  unauthorized 
opposition  of  individuals,  or  of  small  parties ;  but  if  a  superior 
force,  authorized,  or  not  authorized,  by  a  nation,  should  be  arrayed 
against  your  further  passage,  and  inflexibly  determined  to  arrest 
it,  you  must  decline  its  further  pursuit  and  return.  In  the  loss  of 
yourselves  we  should  also  lose  the  information  you  will  have  ac* 
quired.  By  returning  safely  with  that,  you  may  enable  us  to  renew 
the  essay  with  better  calculated  means.  To  your  own  discretion, 
therefore,  must  be  left  the  degree  of  danger  you  may  risk,  and  the 
point  at  which  you  should  decline,  only  saying,  we  wish  you  to 
err  on  the  side  of  your  safety,  and  to  bring  back  your  party  safe, 
even  if  it  be  with  less  information. 

"As  far  up  the  Missouri  as  the  white  settlements  extend,  an 
intercourse  will  probably  be  found  to  exist  between  them  and  the 
Spanish  ports  of  St.  Louis  opposite  Cahokia,  or  St.  Genevieve 
opposite  Kaskaskia.  From  still  further  up  the  river,  the  traders 
may  furnish  a  conveyance  for  letters.  Beyond  that,  you  may 
perhaps  be  able  to  engage  Indians  to  bring  letters  for  the  govern- 
ment to  Cahokia,  or  Kaskaskia,  on  promising  that  they  shall  there 
receive  such  special  compensation  as  you  shall  have  stipulated 
with  them.  Avail  yourself  of  these  means  to  communicate  to  us, 
at  seasonable  intervals,  a  copy  of  your  journal,  notes,  and  obser- 
vations of  every  kind,  putting  into  cypher  whatever  might  do  injury 
if  betrayed. 

"Should  you  reach  the  Pacific  Ocean,  inform  yourself  of  the 

11 


82  ADDRESS. 

circumstances  which  may  decide  whether  the  furs  of  those  parts 
may  not  be  collected  as  advantageously  at  the  head  of  the  Mis- 
souri, (convenient  as  is  supposed  to  the  waters  of  the  Colorado, 
and  Oregon  or  Columbia,)  as  at  Nootka  Sound,  or  at  any  other 
point  of  that  coast ;  and  that  trade  be  consequently  conducted 
through  the  Missouri  and  United  States  more  beneficially  than 
by  the  circumnavigation  now  practised. 

"  On  your  arrival  on  that  coast,  endeavour  to  learn  if  there  be 
any  port  within  your  reach  frequented  by  the  sea  vessels  of  any 
nation,  and  to  send  two  of  your  trusty  people  back  by  sea,  in  such 
way  as  shall  appear  practicable,  with  a  copy  of  your  notes ;  and 
should  you  be  of  opinion  that  the  return  of  your  party  by  the  way 
they  went  will  be  imminently  dangerous,  then  ship  the  whole,  and 
return  by  sea,  by  the  way  either  of  Cape  Horn,  or  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  as  you  shall  be  able.  As  you  will  be  without 
money,  clothes,  or  provisions,  you  must  endeavour  to  use  the 
credit  of  the  United  States  to  obtain  them ;  for  which  purpose, 
open  letters  of  credit  shall  be  furnished  you,  authorizing  you  to 
draw  on  the  executive  of  the  United  States,  or  any  of  its  officers, 
in  any  part  of  the  world,  on  which  draughts  can  be  disposed  of, 
and  to  apply  with  our  recommendations  to  the  consuls,  agents, 
merchants,  or  citizens  of  any  nation  with  which  we  have  inter- 
course, assuring  them,  in  our  own  name,  that  any  aids  they  may 
furnish  you  shall  be  honourably  repaid,  and  on  demand.  Our 
consuls,  Thomas  Hewes,  at  Batavia,  in  Java ;  William  Buchanan, 
in  the  Isles  of  France  and  Bourbon ;  and  John  Elmslie,  at  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  will  be  able  to  supply  your  necessities,  by 
draughts  on  us. 

"  Should  you  find  it  safe  to  return  by  the  way  you  go,  after 
sending  two  of  your  party  round  by  sea,  or  with  your  whole  party, 
if  no  conveyance  by  sea  can  be  found,  do  so ;  making  such  obser- 
vations on  your  return  as  may  serve  to  supply,  correct,  or  confirm 
those  made  on  your  outward  journey. 


ADDRESS.  83 

14  On  re-entering  the  United  States,  and  reaching  a  place  of 
safety,  discharge  any  of  your  attendants  who  may  desire  and  de- 
serve it,  procuring  for  them  immediate  payment  of  all  arrears  of 
pay  and  clothing  which  may  have  incurred  since  their  departure, 
and  assure  them  that  they  shall  be  recommended  to  the  liberality 
of  the  legislature  for  the  grant  of  a  soldier's  portion  of  land  each, 
as  proposed  in  my  message  to  congress,  arid  repair  yourself,  with 
your  papers,  to  the  seat  of  government. 

"  To  provide,  on  the  accident  of  your  death,  against  anarchy, 
dispersion,  and  the  consequent  danger  to  your  party,  and  total 
failure  of  the  enterprise,  you  are  hereby  authorized,  by  any  instru- 
ment, signed  and  written  in  your  own  hand,  to  name  the  person 
among  them  who  shall  succeed  to  the  command  on  your  decease  ; 
and  by  like  instruments,  to  change  the  nomination,  from  time  to 
time,  as  further  experience  of  the  characters  accompanying  you 
shall  point  out  superior  fitness  ;  and  all  the  powers  and  authorities 
given  to  yourself,  are,  in  the  event  of  your  death,  transferred  to, 
and  vested  in  the  successor  so  named,  with  further  power  to  him 
and  his  successors,  in  like  manner,  to  name  each  his  successor, 
who,  on  the  death  of  his  predecessor,  shall  be  invested  with  all  the 
powers  and  authorities  given  to  yourself.  Given  under  my  hand, 
at  the  city  of  Washington,  this  twentieth  day  of  June,  1803. 

(Signed)  "THOMAS  JEFFERSON, 

"  President  of  the  United  States  of  America." 

Commerce,  science,  patriotism,  are  not  alone  interested  in  such 
discoveries ;  the  moralist,  the  philanthropist,  and  the  theologian 
draw  instruction  from  them,  and  are  willing  to  confess  the  obliga- 
tion. The  Reverend  Professor  Dick,  D.  D.,  on  whose  brow  hang 
the  wreaths  that  literature,  philosophy,  and  religion  wove  in  con- 
cert, has  borne  honourable  testimony  to  this,  as  follows : — 

"  With  that  branch  of  knowledge  to  which  I  have  now  adverted, 
(geography,)  every  individual  of  the  human  race  ought  to  be  in 


84  ADDRESS. 

some  measure  acquainted.  For  it  is  unworthy  of  the  dignity  of  a 
rational  being,  to  stalk  abroad  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  en- 
joy the  bounty  of  his  Creator,  without  considering  the  nature  and 
extent  of  his  sublunary  habitation,  the  variety  of  august  objects  it 
contains,  the  relation  in  which  he  stands  to  other  tribes  of  intelli- 
gent agents,  and  the  wonderful  machinery  which  is  in  constant 
operation  for  supplying  his  wants,  and  for  producing  the  revolu- 
tions of  day  and  night,  spring  and  autumn,  summer  and  winter. 
In  a  religious  point  of  view,  geography  is  a  science  of  peculiar 
interest.  For  *  the  salvation  of  God,'  which  Christianity  unfolds, 
is  destined  to  be  proclaimed  in  every  land,  in  order  that  men  of  all 
nations,  and  kindreds,  and  tongues  may  participate  in  its  bless- 
ings. But,  without  exploring  every  region  of  the  earth,  and  the 
numerous  islands  which  are  scattered  over  the  surface  of  the 
ocean,  and  opening  up  a  regular  intercourse  with  the  different 
tribes  of  human  beings  which  dwell  upon  its  surface,  we  can  never 
carry  into  effect  the  purpose  of  God,  '  by  making  known  his  sal- 
vation to  the  ends  of  the  earth.'  As  God  has  ordained  that  ( all 
flesh  shall  see  the  salvation'  he  has  accomplished,  and  that  human 
beings  shall  be  the  agents  for  carrying  his  designs  into  effect ;  so 
we  may  rest  assured,  that  he  has  ordained  every  mean  requisite  for 
accomplishing  this  end ;  and,  consequently,  that  it  is  his  will  that 
men  should  study  the  figure  and  magnitude  of  the  earth,  and  all 
those  arts  by  which  they  may  be  enabled  to  traverse  and  explore 
the  different  regions  of  land  and  water  which  compose  the  terra- 
queous globe ;  and  that  it  is  also  his  will,  that  every  one  who  feels 
an  interest  in  the  present  and  eternal  happiness  of  his  fellow  men, 
should  make  himself  acquainted  with  the  result  of  all  the  disco- 
veries in  this  science  that  have  been  or  may  yet  be  made,  in  order 
to  stimulate  his  activity  in  conveying  to  the  wretched  sons  of  Adam, 
wherever  they  may  be  found,  '  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ, 
"  To  the  missionary,  and  the  directors  of  Bible  and  Missionary 
Societies,  a  minute  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of  this  science, 


ADDRESS.  35 

and  of  all  the  facts  connected  with  it,  is  essentially  requisite ; 
without  which  they  would  often  grope  in  the  dark,  and  spend 
their  money  in  vain,  and  *  their  labour  for  that  which  doth  not 
profit.'  They  must  be  intimately  acquainted  with  the  extensive 
field  of  operation  which  lies  before  them,  and  with  the  physical, 
the  moral,  and  the  political  state  of  the  different  tribes  to  which 
they  intend  to  send  the  message  of  salvation  ;  otherwise  their 
exertions  will  be  made  at  random,  and  their  schemes  be  conducted 
without  judgment  or  discrimination.  To  attempt  to  direct  the 
movements  of  Missionary  Societies  without  an  intimate  knowledge 
of  this  subject,  is  as  foolish  and  absurd  as  it  would  be  for  a  land- 
surveyor  to  lay  down  plans  for  the  improvement  of  a  gentleman's 
estate,  before  he  had  surveyed  the  premises,  and  made  himself 
acquainted  with  the  objects  upon  them,  in  their  various  aspects 
positions,  and  bearings.  If  all  those  who  direct  and  support  the 
operations  of  such  societies,  were  familiarly  acquainted  with  the 
different  fields  for  missionary  exertions,  and  with  the  peculiar 
state  and  character  of  the  diversified  tribes  of  the  heathen  world, 
so  far  as  they  are  known,  injudicious  schemes  might  be  frustrated 
before  they  are  carried  into  effect,  and  the  funds  of  such  institu- 
tions preserved  from  being  wasted  to  no  purpose.  In  this  view,  it 
is  the  duty  of  every  Christian  to  mark  the  progress  and  the  results 
of  the  various  geographical  expeditions  which  are  now  going  for- 
ward in  quest  of  discoveries,  in  connexion  with  the  moral  and 
political  movements  which  are  presently  agitating  the  nations  :  for 
every  navigator  who  ploughs  the  ocean  in  search  of  new  islands 
and  continents,  and  every  traveller  who  explores  the  interior  of 
unknown  countries,  should  be  considered  as  so  many  pioneers, 
sent  beforehand  by  Divine  Providence,  to  prepare  the  way  for  the 
labours  of  the  missionary,  and  for  the  combined  exertions  of 
Christian  benevolence." — DICK'S  Christian  Philosophy. 


86  ADDRESS. 

But  one  more  view  of  this  subject  remains,  and  that  we  shall 
present  as  concisely  as  possible.  We  have  thus  far  spoken  only 
of  the  tropical  islands,  of  their  inhabitants,  and  of  our  shipping, 
with  the  nautical  and  scientific  labours  to  be  performed  in  those 
regions.  That  the  picture  is  not  overdrawn  we  most  confidently 
appeal  to  the  members  on  the  floor  of  Congress,  whose  con- 
stituents are  immediately  interested  in  the  various  traffic  of  those 
seas.  To  them  of  right  belongs  the  more  able  support  of  this 
measure,  if  indeed  opposition  can  be  anticipated  to  an  enterprise 
demanded,  we  repeat  again,  by  the  wisest  considerations  of 
national  policy,  and  honour,  and  the  imperious  calls  of  suffering 
humanity. 

We  have  said,  that  only  one  more  view  of  this  subject  remains 
to  be  taken.  Follow  us,  then,  for  a  moment,  from  the  sunny  isles 
of  the  tropics,  to  regions  farther  south,  where  the  indefatigable 
whaler  must  yet  pursue  his  mighty  prey  along  the  verge  of  the 
Antarctic  circle,  where  our  intrepid  sealers  scale  the  seemingly 
inaccessible  cliffs  and  mountains  of  ice  in  quest  of  their  game,  and 
where  the  discovery  ships  should  spend  a  few  months  during  the 
most  favourable  season  of  the  southern  summer. 

What !  extend  our  researches  to  regions  surrounding  the  South 
Pole  \  And  wherefore  not  ?  Shall  the  reproach  for  ever  rest  upon 
our  character,  that  we  can  do  nothing,  think  of  nothing,  talk  of 
nothing,  that  is  not  connected  with  dollars  and  cents  ?  The  great 
and  beneficial  objects  of  the  expedition  have  been  already  dis- 
cussed. Will  you  not  allow  us  some  scope  for  high  and  daring 
adventure  ?  We  know  that  whatever  our  interest  and  our  honour 
require,  will  meet  with  the  approbation  and  support  of  the  great 
body  of  the  American  people ;  but  we  also  know,  that  without 
some  devotion  to  science  and  liberal  pursuits,  though  we  may 
become  powerful,  yea,  in  an  uninterrupted  career  of  prosperity, 
invincible  by  land  and  sea,  yet  we  can  never  be  truly  great ! 

Those  who  raise  objections,  and  oppose  insurmountable  obsta- 


ADDRESS.  87 

cles  to  all  enterprises  of  this  kind,  would  do  well  to  reflect,  that 
the  very  spirit  called  forth  and  kept  alive  by  them  is  of  incalcula- 
ble utility  in  a  national  point  of  view.  It  tended  to  elevate  Great 
Britain,  as  we  have  already  shown,  to  a  pitch  of  grandeur  unsur- 
passed-by  any  nation  of  ancient  or  modern  time.  Other  countries 
have  indeed,  been  the  seat  of  a  more  dreaded  power,  but  it  has 
been  a  power  depending  for  its  stability  upon  brute  force,  without 
any  intermixture  of  the  intellectual  and  refined ;  and  accordingly, 
when  the  prop  which  supported  it  was  withdrawn,  it  sank  into 
contempt  and  oblivion.  It  is  a  striking  truth  that  the  nations  of 
the  earth,  whose  riches  have  passed  into  a  proverb,  occupy  the 
most  unimportant  portion  of  history ;  and  their  wealth,  coupled  as 
it  was  with  nothing  great  and  ennobling,  has  served  only  to  bring 
down  upon  them  the  derision  of  posterity.  Let  us  not,  then,  for- 
get that  wealth  to  nations,  as  well  as  individuals,  is  a  means,  and 
not  an  end ;  and  that  the  most  awful  reverses  have  befallen  those 
who  have  disregarded  this  unchangeable  law,  and  forgotten  that 
the  accumulated  harvest  of  riches  arising  from  past  exertions,  was 
intended  as  the  seed  of  future  enterprise.  No !  we  cannot  remain 
stationary.  If  we  cease  to  move  onward,  that  instant  we  retro- 
grade, and  our  prosperity,  like  the  stone  of  Sisyphus,  will  bear  us 
along  with  it  down  the  precipitous  descent,  into  the  depths  of 
national  effeminacy. 

In  relation  to  the  more  northern  expeditions,  an  able  French 
writer  makes  these  very  judicious  and  liberal  remarks :  "  Even 
were  the  discoveries  which  Captains  Ross,  Parry,  and  Franklin, 
have  made  in  relation  to  the  obscure  laws  that  govern  the  mag- 
net, the  only  fruit  of  the  English  expeditions,  they  had  not  been 
undertaken  in  vain.  But  they  have  at  the  same  time  expanded 
the  bounds  of  geographical  knowledge,  added  greatly  to  the  whale 
fisheries,  and  proved  that  man,  enlightened  by  the  arts,  is  able  to 
surmount  the  obstacles  of  nature  in  her  wildest  ferocity.** 

That  they  were  not  successful  takes  but  little  from  their  merits, 


88  ADDRESS. 

since  their  conception  alone  bespeaks  a  liberal  and  enlightened 
policy ;  or,  in  the  words  of  the  intrepid  Parry,  such  enterprises, 
so  disinterested  and  useful  in  their  objects,  do  honour  to  the  coun- 
try that  undertakes  them  even  when  they  fail ;  they  cannot  but 
excite  the  admiration  and  respect  of  every  intelligent  mind,  and 
the  page  of  future  history  will  undoubtedly  record  them,  as  in 
every  way  worthy  of  a  powerful  and  virtuous  nation."  The  hard- 
ships and  adventure  attending  them,  have  all  the  interest  of  war 
without  its  guilt ;  and  the  people  of  this  country  have  ever  read, 
with  the  greatest  eagerness,  every  work  that  has  been  published 
in  reference  to  them.  Will  they  read  with  less  interest  the  efforts 
of  their  own  sons  ? 

On  examination  of  the  maps,  it  will  be  perceived  that  there  exist 
but  two  outlets  to  the  Northern  Polar  Seas,  one  by  Bhering's 
Straits,  and  the  other  through  the  Spitzbergen  Seas ;  and  that  the 
combined  width  of  these  at  seventy  degrees,  equals  hardly  a 
ninth  of  the  earth's  circumference.  Now,  the  British  navigators, 
in  seeking  a  north-west  passage,  were  bound  by  their  instructions 
to  search  for  it  among  the  bays  and  indentations  of  a  frozen  coast, 
and  to  force  their  way  amid  numerous  islands,  each  forming  a 
point  of  retardation  and  adhesion  to  the  earliest  ice  that  is  formed 
during  the  prolonged  winter  of  the  Pole.  It  is  impossible  that  any 
"expedition  thus  conducted,  and  fettered  in  its  operations,  should 
prove  successful ;  and  succeeding  times  will  wonder  at  the  perti- 
nacity of  the  British  Admiralty,  in  adhering  to  instructions,  in  our 
humble  opinion,  so  injudiciously  given. 

Let  us  consider  the  immutable  principles  of  nature,  ever  the 
same  in  similar  circumstances.  Observe  a  large  lake  or  river, 
partially  frozen.  The  ice  is  compact,  and  firmly  attached  to  the 
shore,  long  before  it  is  formed  in  the  centre.  In  Baffin's  Bay,  the 
Esquimaux  go  out  some  twenty  miles  from  the  shore,  and  kill 
seals  on  the  edge  of  the  ice ;  and  it  is  more  than  probable  that  a 
vessel  might  sail  unobstructed  in  the  middle  of  that  bay,  at  any 


ADDRESS.  89 

time  before  the  ice  is  detached  from  the  land.  Furthermore,  it  is 
a  matter  well  authenticated,  that  upon  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice 
in  a  harbour  of  Hudson's  Bay,  a  vessel  which  was  driven  out, 
passed  the  straits  without  any  impediment,  and  reached  England 
in  the  midst  of  the  winter,  while  in  May  and  June  following,  the 
straits  were  blocked  with  floating  ice.  The  existence  of  a  north 
west  passage,  however,  is  no  longer  a  matter  for  conjecture.  It 
will  be  found  by  standing  well  from  the  shore,  on  which  the  ice  is 
thrown  in  accumulated  masses,  by  the  winds  and  currents  of  the 
north,  or  by  keeping  the  mid  channel,  through  Bhering's  Straits, 
and  rounding  the  headlands  of  our  continent,  and  thence  into  the 
Spitzbergen  Seas.  That  this  route  is  more  feasible  than  any 
other,  is  evident  from  the  fact,  that  the  ice  formed  in  bays  and 
harbours,  and  the  estuaries  of  fresh  water  rivers,  is  solid  and  mas- 
sive, while  that  formed  in  the  ocean,  being  congealed  from  salt 
water,  is  seldom  more  than  six  inches  in  thickness,  appearing  like 
snow  partially  melted  and  refrozen,  is  semi-opaque,  and  presents 
in  general  but  a  feeble  barrier  to  the  bold  navigator.  Indeed,  we 
do  not  believe,  and  our  personal  experience  must  here  strengthen 
our  assertion,  that  ice  is  ever  formed  in  the  main  ocean,  at  a  dis- 
tance from  land.  No,  not  at  the  Pole  itself ! 

The  unexplored  part  of  the  Northern  Polar  Seas,  may  be  con- 
sidered about  twenty-four  hundred  miles  across  it,  or  seven  thou- 
sand two  hundred  miles  in  circumference.  The  whole  surrounding 
coast  is  inhabited ;  the  European  part  by  the  Laplanders  and 
Fins  ;  the  Asiatic  by  the  Samoyedes,  and  other  rude  tribes,  who 
subsist  upon  reindeer,  and  fish ;  and  the  American  by  the  various 
tribes  of  the  Esquimaux.  Numerous  large  rivers  in  Asia  and  our 
own  continent,  pour  their  sluggish  streams  of  fresh  water  into  the 
Polar  Seas. 

These,  together  with  the  great  extent  of  coast,  necessarily  pro- 
duce large  quantities  of  ice,  which  is  thrown  out  in  the  spring, 
and  floated  by  the  northern  currents  into  the  channel  or  sea 

12 


90  ADDRESS. 

between  Spitzbergen  and  Greenland.  In  that  passage  it  collects 
in  accumulated  masses,  and  is  forced  by  the  increasing  pressure 
into  the  bays  and  among  the  islands  through  which  the  British 
expedition  weie  bound,  as  we  have  before  said,  to  seek  a  north- 
west passage.  The  cause  of  their  slow  progress  must  be  apparent 
to  all 

The  southern  hemisphere  presents  oy  far  the  more  interesting 
field  for  discovery,  containing  as  it  does,  more  than  one  million 
and  a  half  of  square  miles,  which  have  never  been  trodden  by  the 
footsteps  of  man,  nor  its  waters  divided  by  the  keel  of  the  adven- 
turous navigator ;  regions  of  which,  we  know  little  more  than  we 
do  of  the  planet  Georgium  Sidus,  or  an  orb  revolving  round  one  of 
the  most  distant  of  the  twinkling  stars. 

Is  it  not  remarkable,  that  while  the  most  learned  and  profound 
of  all  ages,  have  been  munificently  encouraged  to  ascertain  the 
nature,  and  the  courses,  and  the  times  of  the  planets,  that  belong 
to  our  system,  and  revolve  round  a  common  centre  of  light  and 
heat,  so  large  a  part  of  our  own  earth  should  remain  almost  as 
little  known  to  us,  as  those  planets  are,  though  separated  from  us 
by  distances  conceivable  only  by  the  mighty  mind  which  ordained 
them !  Man,  indeed,  in  his  proud  walks,  appears  anxious  to  tread 
the  milky  way ;  to  extend  his  researches  to  the  utmost  bounds  of 
creation ;  to  mark  the  bold  planet  in  his  career,  and  unfold  the  laws 
that  govern  him ;  while  he  remains,  perhaps,  culpably  negligent 
of  the  undiscovered  parts  of  his  own  little  globe,  that  are  still 
within  the  bounds  of  practical  experiment. 

Few,  feeble,  and  far  between,  have  been  the  efforts  to  explore 
the  higher  latitudes  south.  Let  us  briefly  examine  them. 

In  the  year  1772,  Captain  Cook,  in  the  Resolution,  accompa- 
nied by  Lieutenant  Freneau,  in  the  Adventure,  embarked  on  his 
first  voyage  in  search  of  a  southern  continent.  Having,  in  De- 
cember, attained  the  fifty-eighth  degree  of  south  latitude,  in  longi- 
tude 26°  57'  east,  he  fell  in  with  narrow  fields  of  ice,  running 


ADDRESS.  91 

north-west  and  south-east,  from  six  to  eight  inches  in  thickness, 
and  appearing  to  have  been  formed  in  bays  or  rivers.  This  ice 
was  in  large  flat  pieces,  and,  in  some  instances,  packed  so  closely, 
that  the  vessels,  with  difficulty,  passed  through  it.  Here  were 
seen  great  numbers  of  penguins,  which,  with  other  coinciding  cir- 
cumstances, induced  the  supposition  of  land  being  in  the  vicinity. 
This  opinion  was  afterwards  shown  to  be  erroneous,  the  ice  prov- 
ing to  be  unattached  to  any  shore.  In  latitude  61°  12',  the  voy- 
agers met  with  considerable  ice-islands,  many  of  which  were 
passed  unseen,  by  reason  of  the  thick  haze.  Three  degrees  fur- 
ther south,  in  longitude  38°  14'  E.,  they  had  mild  weather,  with 
gentle  gales,  for  five  days ;  thermometer  thirty-six,  and  prevalent 
winds  east  and  east  by  south.  In  January,  1773,  they  crossed  the 
Antarctic  circle  in  latitude  66°  36'  30" ;  and,  on  reaching  latitude 
67°  15',  found  the  ice  closed  the  whole  extent,  from  east  to  west- 
south-west,  and  no  indication  of  an  opening.  This  immense  area 
was  filled  with  ice  of  different  kinds,  high  hills,  broken  masses 
compactly  pressed  together,  and  field  ice.  A  float  of  the  latter,  to 
the  south-east,  appeared  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  above  the  water, 
and  its  extremities  could  not  be  seen  from  the  mast  head.  As  the 
summer  of  that  region  was  nearly  half  spent,  and  it  would  have 
taken  some  time,  even  if  practicable  at  all,  to  get  round  the  ice, 
Captain  Cook  determined  to  retrograde.  He  accordingly  sailed 
to  the  northward,  and  afterwards  proceeded  in  search  of  other 
discoveries.  In  this  attempt,  Cook  did  not  know  all,  that  is  now 
known,  of  this  portion  of  the  southern  hemisphere.  If  he  had  he 
would  have  selected  another  meridian  for  the  purpose  of  going 
south.  The  ice  he  met  with,  came  from  some  large  islands  situ- 
ated east  from  Palmer's  Land. 

On  the  26th  of  November,  1773,  Captain  Cook  left  New  Zea 
land,  on  his  second  search  for  southern  lands.  In  latitude  59°  4(X 
he  met  with  a  southerly  current.  In  December,  being  in  latitude 
67°  31',  longitude  142°  54'  W.,  the  cold  was  intense,  with  a  hard 


92  ADDRESS. 

gale  and  a  heavy  fog ;  thermometer  thirty  to  thirty -one  at  noon. 
Continual  daylight,  except  when  obscured  by  the  thick  vapours. 
Albatrosses,  penguins,  and  peterels,  in  great  numbers  here.  In  lat- 
itude 70°  23',  the  navigators  met  with  islands  of  ice,  three  or  four 
miles  in  circumference,  and,  shortly  thereafter,  observed  that  the 
clouds  in  the  southern  horizon  were  of  a  snowy  white,  and  of  unu- 
sual brightness,  appearances  which  were  known  to  announce  the 
approach  to  field  ice.  On  reaching  latitude  71°  10',  in  longitude 
106°  54'  W.,  the  extreme  point  of  their  voyage,  they  came  upon 
the  edge  of  an  immense  frozen  expanse,  which  rilled  the  whole 
area  of  the  southern  horizon,  and  illumined  the  air  to  a  consider- 
able height  with  the  rays  of  light  reflected  from  its  surface.  In 
the  back  ground  the  ice  rose  in  ridges,  like  chains  of  mountains, 
one  above  another,  till  lost  in  the  clouds.  Of  these  ridges  they 
counted  ninety-seven.  The  outer,  or  northern  edge  of  this  gigan- 
tic field,  was  broken  ice,  firmly  wedged  together,  and  impassable. 
This  fringe  was  about  a  mile  in  breadth,  and  within  it  was  the 
solid  ice,  which  was  low  and  flat,  with  the  exception  of  the  moun- 
tains before  alluded  to.  It  was  Captain  Cook's  opinion,  that  this 
mighty  mass  of  crystallization  extended  to  the  Pole;  or  was  joined 
to  some  land  southward,  to  which  it  had  been  affixed  from  earliest 
time,  and  that  here  was  generated  all  the  ice  found  in  such  variety 
of  shape  and  quantity  further  north ;  the  same  having  been  broken 
off  from  the  main  body  by  the  action  of  gales,  and  carried  in  that 
direction  by  currents,  which  he  had  observed  invariably  set  to  the 
northward  in  very  high  latitudes.  Few  birds  were  here  seen,  and 
yet  it  is  evident  from  the  tenor  of  the  distinguished  commander's 
remarks,  that  he  believed  land  to  exist  south  of  the  parallel  at 
which  he  arrived,  though  he  doubted  if  it  were  not  inhospitable, 
and  destitute  of  animal  or  vegetable  life  as  the  ice  itself. 

We  are  not  surprised  that  Cook  was  unable  to  go  beyond  71° 
10',  but  we  are  astonished  that  he  did  attain  that  point  on  the 
meridian  of  106°  54'  west  longitude.  Palmer's  Land  lies  south  of 


ADDRESS.  93 

the  Shetland,  latitude  64°,  and  tends  to  the  southward  and  west- 
ward, further  than  any  navigator  has  yet  penetrated.  Cook  was 
standing  for  this  land  when  his  progress  was  arrested  by  the  ice ; 
which,  we  apprehend,  must  always  be  the  case  in  that  point,  and 
so  early  in  the  season  as  the  6th  of  January ; — and  we  should  not 
be  surprised  if  a  portion  of  the  icy  mountains  described  was 
attached  to  the  main  body  of  Palmer's  Land,  or  to  some  other 
detached  portions  of  land  lying  further  to  the  southward .  and 
westward. 

Captains  Kruzenstern  and  Urey  Lisiansky,  who  were  sent  out 
to  circumnavigate  the  globe  by  Alexander  I,  of  Russia,  in  1803, 
did  not  reach  a  higher  degree  of  south  latitude  than  59°  58'  in 
longitude  70°  15'  W.,  when  they  met  with  currents  setting 
strongly  towards  the  east.  In  this  latitude,  Kruzenstern  speaks  of 
whales  being  in  great  abundance,  but  does  not  mention  having 
seen  any  ice ; — this  was  in  March. 

Had  Kruzenstern  continued  his  course  south,  he  would  have 
made  the  south-westerly  portion  of  the  Shetland  Islands,  and 
afterwards  Palmer's  Land.  Had  he  been  earlier  in  the  season,  he 
must  have  encountered  ice.  The  winds  prevailing  as  they  do, 

from  the  southward  and  westward,  had  carried  it,  aided  by  cur- 

' 

rents,  into  that  icy  region,  bounded  on  the  north  by  Georgia,  east 
by  Sandwich  Land  and  South  Orkneys,  and  west  by  the  South 
Shetland  Islands. 

The  testimony  of  Weddell,  who  pierced  to  the  highest  parallel 
of  south  latitude  known  to  have  been  attained  by  man,  is  decidedly 
at  variance  with  the  opinion  of  Captain  Cook,  respecting  the 
extent  of  impenetrable  ice  to  the  South  Pole.  Mr.  Weddell, 
although  his  two  frail  little  barks  were  often  beset  by  towering 
icebergs,  and  placed  in  imminent  danger,  does  not  appear  to  have 
encountered,  indeed  his  vessels  could  not  have  withstood,  the 
impediments  opposed  to  northern  navigators  in  similar  latitudes. 
Nothing  can  be  more  encouraging  than  this  gentleman's  state- 


94  ADDRESS. 

ments,  to  those  who  hold  the  belief  that  the  Pole  can  be  attained 
He  records  the  extraordinary  facts  that,  after  having  been  almost 
hemmed  in  by  ice  in  far  lower  parallels,  in  latitude  72°  28',  not  a 
single  particle  was  to  be  seen  ;  and,  that  in  the  unprecedently 
high  latitude  of  74°  15',  no  fields,  and  only  three  islands,  of  ice 
were  visible.  Flights  of  innumerable  birds  were  here  seen. 

Weddell,  discourages  the  idea  of  land  existing  in  the  polar 
regions  of  the  south,  and  the  facts  he  has  given  us  are  calculated 
to  strengthen  such  a  supposition.  He  distinctly  states  that  he  saw 
unknown  coasts  south  of  the  Shetlands,  tending  southerly  in  about 
latitude  64° ;  although  from  that  point  to  the  highest  to  which  he 
explored,  he  recognised  no  other  indications  of  land. 

There  is  one  subject,  if  our  memory  serves  us  right,  upon  which 
the  opinions  of  Weddell  do  not  appear  to  have  been  based  upon 
his  experience.  He  seems  to  favour  the  often  repeated,  though 
erroneous  assertion,  that  the  cold  is  more  intense  in  the  far  An- 
tarctic latitudes,  than  in  similar  parallels  in  the  Arctic  circle ;  yet 
he  states  the  temperature  to  be  mild,  and  the  ocean  to  be  free  from 
field  ice ; — the  vast  accumulation  of  which  is  undoubtedly  the 
cause  of  the  severe  frigidity,  the  cold  and  shivering  dampness,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  Shetlands. 

Since  the  voyage  of  Weddell,  the  belief  in  the  existence  of 
southern  lands  has  -  received  further  confirmation  ;  and  vague 
speculation  is  now  replaced  by  what  would  seem  to  be  authentic 
knowledge.  The  circumstance  to  which  we  allude  in  making  this 
statement,  is  the  discovery  made  by  Captain  Briscoe  of  the  brig 
Lively,  accompanied  by  cutter  Tula,  in  1831-2.  Captain  Briscoe, 
who  was  in  the  employ  of  Messrs.  Enderby,  extensive  whale-ship 
owners  of  London,  on  the  28th  of  February,  being  in  latitude 
about  66°  30'  S.,  longitude  47°  31'  E.,  descried  land,  and  clearly 
discovered  through  the  snow,  the  black  peaks  of  a  range  of 
mountains  running  E.  S.  E.  During  the  following  month  he 
remained  on  the  newly  discovered  coast ;  but,  from  the  state  of 


ADDRESS.  95 

the  weather  and  the  ice,  was  unable  to  approach  it  nearer  than 
within  thirty  miles.  An  extent  of  about  three  hundred  miles  of 
shore  was  seen.  The  sickness  of  the  Lively's  crew  induced  her 
commander  to  seek  a  warmer  climate,  and  he  returned  north,  to 
winter  in  Van  Dieman's  Land,  where  he  was  rejoined  by  the 
cutter,  which  had  been  separated  from  her  consort  in  a  storm. 

In  the  beginning  of  1832,  Briscoe  again  proceeded  southward, 
and  on  the  4th  of  February  observed  land  to  the  southeast,  in 
latitude  67°  15',  longitude  69°  29'  W.,  which  he  found  to  be  an 
island  near  the  headland  of  what  he  considers  may  yet  be  desig- 
nated the  southern  continent.  On  the  21st  he  landed  in  a  spacious 
bay  in  the  main  land,  and  took  possession  in  the  name  of  his 
sovereign,  William  IV.  The  island  he  named  Adelaide's  island, 
in  honour  of  the  English  queen.  The  log  and  other  particulars 
of  this  discovery  were  laid  before  the  Royal  Geographical  Society 
of  London  ;  from  all  of  which  the  conclusion  was  drawn,  that 
there  is  a  continuous  body  of  land  extending  from  47°  30/  E.>  to 
69°  29'  west  longitude,  running  the  parallel  of  from  66°  to  67° 
south  latitude. 

Now,  in  the  correctness  of  these  conclusions  we  by  no  means 
concur ;  nor  do  the  discoveries  of  Briscoe  warrant  any  such  infer- 
ence. It  was  within  these  limits  that  Weddell  proceeded  south, 
on  a  meridian  to  the  east  of  Georgia,  Sandwich  Land,  and  the 
South  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands.  Nor  were  his  last  discove- 
ries new.  The  main  land,  taken  possession  of  in  the  name  of  his 
sovereign,  was  visited  fifteen  years  ago  by  our  own  sealers,  and 
taken  possession  of  (at  least  some  fur)  in  the  name  of  our  sove- 
reign, the  people ;  and  when  a  true  record  shall  be  made  up  of  the 
past  discoveries  in  this  portion  of  the  South  Seas,  the  name  of 
Adelaide's  island  must  be  changed;  and  the  wreath  of  crystal 
gems,  intended  for  the  brows  of  majesty,  will  be  found  to  belong 
to  one  of  Nature's  pretty  little  queens,  of  whom  we  have  so  many 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  !  We  have  a  long,  running,  unsettled 


96  ADDRESS. 

account  in  this  matter  of  giving  names  to  places,  with  some  of  our 
neighbours,  which  we  may  as  well  begin  to  have  posted  up,  for 
the  purpose  of  preventing  future  disputes. 

In  tracing  on  a  chart  the  few  attempts  which  have  been  made 
to  reach  a  high  latitude,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  circumnavigation 
of  the  southern  hemisphere  will  not,  at  most,  bear  an  average  of 
more  than  58°  south  latitude, — which  leaves,  with  the  exception 
of  Weddell's  track,  about  300°  of  longitude,  in  which  the  An- 
tarctic circle  has  not  been  crossed  ! 

With  such  a  wide  field  before  us,  and  such  a  noble  theatre 
whereon  to  contend  for  mastery  with  the  nations  of  the  earth ; 
now  that  the  cloud  which  has  so  long  hung  in  our  political  hori- 
zon, and  threatened  to  darken  the  heavens,  and  crimson  the  ocean 
with  blood,  has  passed  away,  leaving  the  glorious  sunshine  of 
peace  to  our  land ;  and  now  when  the  treasury  is  full  to  overflow- 
ing, we  confidently  indulge  the  hope  that  this  measure  will  be 
sanctioned  without  further  delay. 

For  high  latitudes,  the  vessels  should  be  small.  The  English 
failed  in  this  respect,  and  have  since  confessed  their  error.  The 
strength  and  efficiency  of  a  vessel  depend  not  more  upon  the 
power  of  resisting  than  the  facility  of  avoiding  danger ;  and  this 
remark  applies  to  the  navigation  among  the  islands  of  the  Pacific, 
or  amid  regions  of  ice.  Let  it  be  remembered,  that  Hudson,  Davis, 
and  Baffin,  made  all  their  discoveries  in  small  vessels,  and  by 
their  intrepidity,  perseverance,  and  skill,  extended  their  researches 
almost  as  far  as  the  most  recent  and  adventurous  navigators. 

Parry  pays  the  highest  tribute  of  respect  to  their  memories,  and 
bears  witness  to  the  correctness  of  their  observations,  even  as 
regards  the  longitude.  "  I  feel,"  says  he,  "  tlie  highest  pride  on 
one  hand,  approaching  almost  to  humiliation  on  the  other;  of 
pride,  in  remembering  that  it  was  our  countrymen  who  performed 
these  exploits  ;  of  humiliation,  when  I  consider  how  little,  with  all 
our  advantages,  we  have  succeeded  in  going  beyond  them." 


ADDRESS.  97 

Give  us,  then,  suitable  vessels,  with  an  efficient  outfit, —  say  two 
barks  of  two  hundred  tons,  with  two  tenders  of  one  hundred  tons 
each,  and  a  storeship.  To  make  the  expedition  complete,  we 
must  again  be  permitted  to  urge  the  employment  of  a  frigate. 
She  will  not  be  necessary  in  the  higher  latitudes  ;  there  the  smaller 
vessels  should  venture  alone,  and  trust  for  safety  to  the  facility  of 
locomotion,  and  the  skilfulness  of  their  officers.  This  is  no  longer 
an  unsettled  and  debateable  point.  The  experience  of  others  is 
confirmed,  to  a  limited  extent,  by  our  own.  We  ourselves  have 
been  in  the  Antarctic  seas,  on  board  of  two  vessels,  the  one  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty,  and  the  other  of  eighty  tons  burthen,  and  have 
beheld  in  all  its  terror  and  sublimity,  that  castellated  region  of 
floating  crystal  pyramids,  of  accumulated  ice  and  snow,  and  we 
could  easily  enlarge  on  the  preference  to  be  given  to  the  use  of 
comparatively  small  vessels. 

That  the  ninetieth  degree,  or  the  South  Pole,  may  be  reached 
by  the  navigator,  is  our  deliberate  opinion  (unless  intercepted  by 
land),  which  all  that  we  have  seen  and  known  has  tended  to  con- 
firm. That  an  expedition  should  be  despatched  from  this  country 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  practicability  of  attaining 
it,  is  not,  perhaps,  to  be  expected ;  but  that  the  effort  should  be 
allowed  to  be  made,  in  connexion  with  the  other  great  objects  of 
the  enterprise,  is  perfectly  in  accordance  with  the  most  prudential 
policy. 

We  feel  that  we  have  discharged  our  duty,  and  that  the  subject 
is  now  committed  to  other  hands,  to  be  disposed  of  by  those  whose 
decision  will  have  no  connexion  with  our  individual  feelings  or 
wishes,  nor  do  we  wish  that  it  should.  Indeed,  we  have  no 
unusual  share  of  personal  solicitude  and  feverish  anxiety  about  the 
result.  The  time  was,  when  we  felt  differently — far  differently ; — 
but  that  time  has  gone  by.  For  us  there  is  no  disappointment  in 
store.  We  sought  adventure,  and  have  had  it  without  the  aid  or 

patronage  of  government.     Still  our  efforts  have  not  gone  unre- 
E  13 


98  ADDRESS. 

warded.  The  kindness  we  have  so  often  experienced  from  our 
countrymen,  and  the  charitable  estimate  they  have  put  upon  our 
labours,  leave  nothing  to  regret  in  relation  to  the  past,  while  they 
make  us  independent  with  respect  to  the  future.  We  have  no 
narrow  and  exclusive  feelings  to  be  gratified.  We  wish  to  see 
the  expedition  sail,  solely  because  of  the  good  it  may  do,  and  the 
honour  it  may  confer  on  the  country  at  large. 

For  the  same  reasons  we  wish  to  see  it  organized  on  liberal  and 
enlightened  principles,  which  object  can  be  effected  only  by  calling 
in  requisition  the  known  skill  of  the  service,  which  will  be  found 
equal  to  the  discharge  of  every  duty,  in  any  way  connected  with 
the  naval  profession. 

But  this  should  not  be  all.  To  complete  its  efficiency,  indi- 
viduals from  other  walks  of  life,  we  repeat,  should  be  appointed 
to  participate  in  its  labours.  No  professional  pique,  no  petty 
jealousies,  should  be  allowed  to  defeat  this  object.  The  enter- 
prise should  be  national  in  its  object,  and  sustained  by  the  national 
means, — belongs  of  right  to  no  individual,  or  set  of  individuals, 
but  to  the  country  and  the  whole  country ;  and  he  who  does  not 
view  it  in  this  light,  or  could  not  enter  it  with  this  spirit,  would 
not  be  very  likely  to  meet  the  public  expectations  were  he 
intrusted  with  the  entire  control. 

To  indulge  in  jealousies,  or  feel  undue  solicitude  about  the 
division  of  honours  before  they  are  won,  is  the  appropriate  em- 
ployment of  carpet  heroes,  in  whatever  walk  of  life  they  may  be 
found.  The  qualifications  of  such  would  fit  them  better  to  thread 
the  mazes  of  the  dance,  or  to  shine  in  the  saloon,  than  to  venture 
upon  an  enterprise  requiring  men,  in  the  most  emphatic  sense  of 
the  term. 

There  are,  we  know,  many,  very  many,  ardent  spirits  in  our 
navy — many  whom  we  hold  among  the  most  valued  of  our  friends 
— who  are  tired  of  inglorious  ease,  and  who  would  seize  the 


ADDRESS.  99 

opportunity  thus  presented  to  them  with  avidity,  and  enter  with 
delight  upon  this  new  path  to  fame. 

Our  seamen  are  hardy  and  adventurous,  especially  those  who 
are  engaged  in  the  seal  trade  and  the  whale  fisheries ;  and  innured 
as  they  are  to  the  perils  of  navigation,  are  inferior  to  none  on 
earth  for  such  a  service.  Indeed,  the  enterprise,  courage,  and 
perseverance  of  American  seamen  are,  if  not  unrivalled,  at  least 
unsurpassed.  What  man  can  do,  they  have  always  felt  ready  to 
attempt, — what  man  has  done,  it  is  their  character  to  feel  able  to 
do, — whether  it  be  to  grapple  with  an  enemy  on  the  deep,  or  to 
pursue  their  gigantic  game  under  the  burning  line,  with  an  intelli- 
gence and  ardour  that  insure  success,  or  pushing  their  adventurous 
barks  into  the  high  southern  latitudes,  to  circle  the  globe  within 
the  Antarctic  circle,  and  attain  the  Pole  itself; — yea,  to  cast 
anchor  on  that  point  where  all  the  meridians  terminate,  where  our 
eagle  and  star-spangled  banner  may  be  unfurled  and  planted,  and 
left  to  wave  on  the  axis  of  the  earth  itself! — where,  amid  the 
novelty,  grandeur,  and  sublimity  of  the  scene,  the  vessels,  instead 
of  sweeping  a  vast  circuit  by  the  diurnal  movements  of  the  earth, 
would  simply  turn  round  once  in  twenty-four  hours ! 

We  shall  not  discuss,  at  present,  the  probability  of  this  result, 
though  its  possibility  might  be  easily  demonstrated.  If  this  should 
be  realized,  where  is  the  individual  who  does  not  feel  that  such  an 
achievement  would  add  new  lustre  to  the  annals  of  American 
philosophy,  and  crown  with  a  new  and  imperishable  wreath  the 
nautical  glories  of  our  country  ! ! 

We  have  done.  For  the  courtesy  with  which  we  have  been 
received,  and  the  indulgence  with  which  we  have  been  heard, 
accept  our  thanks. 

To  the  ladies  who  have  so  kindly  honoured  us  with  their  atten- 
tion, our  most  respectful  acknowledgments  are  due.  You  are 
identified  with  this  subject.  It  was  from  the  sagacity  and  gene- 
rosity of  one  of  your  sex, — the  high-minded  Isabella,  queen  of 


100  ADDRESS. 

Spain, — that  this  continent  was  discovered  at  the  time  it  was,  and 
by  whom  it  was :  when  monarchs  hesitated,  and  ministers  looked 
on  with  cold  and  calculating  indifference,  she  cast  her  jewels  upon 
the  waters,  and  fortune  paid  her  with  a  new  world,  from  which 
has  sprung  a  race  of  men,  who  have  given  new  hopes  to  liberty, 
when  it  was  nearly  lost ;  and  who  are  now  struggling  to  throw 
back  on  Europe,  with  interest  and  gratitude,  the  rays  of  light  we 
have  received  from  her.  In  the  strong  cord  of  public  opinion, 
which  binds  us  a  people,  when  chains  of  adamant  could  not,  the 
silken  and  the  golden  threads  are  what  woman  thinks  of  public 
measures ! 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


• 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


HOUSE  OP  REPRESENTATIVES,  i 
,    Washington,  May  29,  1836.    > 

DEAR  SIR — As  I  have  taken  some  interest  in  the  plan  of  the 
expedition  to  the  Antartic  Ocean,  about  to  be  undertaken  under 
the  auspices  of  the  government,  you  will  allow  me  to  congratulate 
you  upon  the  accomplishment,  thus  far,  of  your  ardent  wishes. 
May  the  issue  of  the  enterprise  be  as  auspicious  to  the  interests 
and  fame  of  your  country,  and  to  your  own  reputation,  as  your 
zeal  and  perseverance  have  been  conspicuous  and  successful  in 
recommending  it  to  the  favorable  attention  of  congress. 

The  considerations  which  recommended  it  to  my  support  were 
these :  First,  while  such  large  sums  were  expended  in  the  support 
of  the  officers  and  navy,  on  shore  and  in  port,  rendering  no  service 
to  the  country,  I  thought  it  unbecoming  in  the  American  congress, 
to  deny  a  small  appropriation  for  a  most  hazardous  and  daring 
service,  which  called  for  such  a  sacrifice  of  comfort,  and  for  the 
patient  endurance  of  privations  and  hardships.  Secondly,  I  con- 
sidered it  a  necessary  measure  for  the  protection  of  our  hardy  and 
adventurous  seamen  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  the  whale  and  the 
seal,  in  those  remote  seas.  Thirdly,  it  would  afford  an  oppor- 
tunity tc  generalize,  and  reduce  to  a  system,  the  knowledge 
necessary  to  the  navigation  of  those  almost  unknown  regions  of 
land  and  water,  and  thereby  advance  the  cause  of  humanity. 
Fourthly,  it  would  give  a  new  spring  and  impulse  to  that  trade 

§"*       *.  r 


104  CORRESPONDENCE. 

which  affords  so  many  comforts  to  the  civilized  world,  and  the 
means  of  subsistence  to  so  many  of  the  hardy  sons  of  New  Eng- 
land. And,  though  last,  not  least,  it  promises  to  extend  the  bounds 
of  science,  increase  the  capital  of  human  knowledge,  and  thereby 
add  to  the  substantial  fame  of  our  republic.  Some  may  deem 
these  views  the  mere  dreams  of  a  wild  fancy,  or  the  hallucinations 
of  an  ill-balanced  intellect ;  but,  with  all  deference  to  the  spirit  of 
censure,  I  consider  the  enterprise  an  object  of  a  more  lofty  am- 
bition than  the  acquisition  of  a  portion  of  a  neighboring  republic, 
and  infinitely  more  worthy  the  patronage  of  the  government  than 
the  sordid  peculations  which  are  becoming  the  reproach  of  the 
age  we  live  in.  Is  it  not  better  to  send  a  portion  of  our  vessels 
of  war  into  the  South  Seas,  to  watch  over  the  twelve  thousand  of 
our  hardy  seamen,  to  point  out  the  harbours  and  shelters  from  the 
storms  and  the  icebergs — to  save  some  of  them  from  famine,  ship- 
wreck, or  captivity,  and  to  restore  them  to  their  long  lost  country 
and  friends,  than  to  send  them  up  the  Mediterranean,  where  our 
officers  and  seamen  will  render  no  other  service,  but  to  contract 
the  vices  and  follies  of  Europe  ? 

But,  Sir,  should  this  enterprise  fail  in  producing  all  the  results 
anticipated  by  a  sanguine  imagination,  it  will  detract  nothing 
from  the  merits  of  the  undertaking.  The  true  value  of  a  deed 
must  be  estimated  by  its  motive,  and  the  moral  sublimity  which  it 
exhibits  ;  not  its  fortunate  or  unfortunate  result.  The  catastrophe 
of  Phaeton,  or  the  fate  of  Napoleon,  detracts  nothing  from  the 
sublimity  of  their  enterprises,  but  through  some  mysterious  in- 
fluence, adds  a  charm  of  indescribable  interest  to  the  pictures. 

But  when  the  expedition  shall  be  finally  embarked,  and  you  find 
yourself  ploughing  the  broad  expanse  of  the  southern  convex* 
when  a  southern  heaven  spreads  out,  and  new  constellations  blaze 
over  your  head,  forget  not  your  country  and  friends ;  nor  the  im- 
portant part  you  are  to  perform,  nor  the  high  responsibilities  com- 
mitted to  your  hands.  Describe  things  as  they  are,  not  as  fancy 


CORRESPONDENCE.  105 

may  create  them.  Sacrifice  nothing  of  truth  to  embellishment. 
Supply  nothing  beyond  fact  to  flatter  the  ear  or  round  a  sentence. 
In  short,  "  nothing  extenuate  or  set  down  aught"  in  romance ;  that 
what  you  write  may  be  read  a  thousand  years  hence  with  the  same 
interest  as  in  the  current  century,  because  of  its  fidelity  to  truth. 
Let  your  ambition  be  to  merit  the  inscription  on  your  tomb, 
should  Neptune  vouchsafe  you  one,  "  exegit  monumentum  are 
perrennius." 

Believe  me,  very  truly, 

Your  friend, 

A.  BEAUMONT. 
/.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
New-York. 


14 


' 


106  CORRESPONDENCE. 


•     - 

NEW-YORK,  June  12,  1836. 

DEAR  SIR — The  conversation  I  had  with  you  the  other  day, 
turned  my  mind  to  the  subject  of  the  exploring  expedition  to  the 
Pacific;  and  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  the  following  outline  of 
preparation  will  be  indispensible,  to  enable  it  to  fulfil  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  nation  and  the  world. 

The  objects  contemplated,  appear  to  me  to  be,  to  forward  the 
interests  of  trade  and  navigation  ;  to  enlarge  the  bounds  of  science ; 
and  to  contribute  to  the  national  honor,  by  adding  to  the  general 
stock  of  useful  knowledge.  It  would  be  a  loss  of  labor,  time,  and 
money,  to  fit  out  an  expedition  with  no  adequate  means,  and 
consequently  no  rational  probability,  of  attaining  either  of  these 
objects.  Without  making  new  discoveries,  or  ascertaining  former 
ones ;  without  going  where  others  have  never  been ;  or  without 
adding  something  material  to  the  discoveries  of  those  who  have 
preceded  us  in  this  track,  the  expedition  would  result  only  in 
disappointment,  perhaps  in  ridicule. 

To  render  it  efficient,  the  first  requisite  is  a  sufficient  armament; 
and  for  this  purpose,  I  should  think  a  frigate,  say  the  Macedonian, 
proper  for  the  accommodation  of  the  officers  and  men,  as  well  as 
of  the  persons  who  may  be  attached  to  the  expedition  for  scientific 
pursuits  and  occupations.  Our  sloops  of  war  do  not  afford  this, 
and  nothing  is  more  likely  to  create  difficulties  and  discourage- 
ments, than  a  perpetual  recurrence  of  those  little  inconveniences 
which  originate  in  the  want  of  ordinary  comforts.  Men  seldom 
persevere  in  any  pursuit  in  the  face  of  these  petty  irritations,  and 


CORRESPONDENCE.  107 

I  am  convinced  many  great  undertakings  have  failed  from  that 
cause  alone. 

Two  vessels  of  about  two  hundred  tons,  and  two  tenders,  one 
of  sixty,  the  other  of  one  hundred  tons.  I  say  two  tenders,  and 
recommend  them  to  be  different  sizes,  because,  in  case  of  the  loss 
of  one,  the  expedition  would  still  have  another  left,  and  it  might 
frequently  happen  that  a  vessel  of  fifty  or  sixty  tons,  would  be  able 
to  penetrate  where  one  of  a  hundred  could  not.  I  am  of  opinion 
that  small  vessels  are  preferable  to  large  ones,  for  the  progress  of 
discovery  in  unknown  seas;  and  my  opinion  is  sustained  by  the 
fact,  that  almost  all  the  great  discoveries  of  former  ages,  were  made 
by  vessels  of  that  class.  Besides,  the  loss  of  the  tender,  if  there 
were  only  one,  might  be  a  serious  obstacle  to  the  progress  of  close 
investigation,  among  the  groups  of  islands,  where  large  vessels 
could  not  penetrate. 

A  store-ship,  amply  supplied,  is,  in  my  opinion,  an  indispensable 
requisite,  as  the  others  would  scarcely  be  able  to  carry  a  sufficient 
quantity  for  such  a  long  voyage.  It  is  not  certain,  nay,  it  is  ex- 
tremely improbable  that  supplies  of  provisions  and  stores  in  a 
sufficient  quantity  can  be  procured,  except,  possibly,  from  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  which  lie  at  a  great  distance  from  the  scene 
contemplated ;  or  perhaps  it  would  be  necessary  to  proceed  to  the 
coast  of  America  for  that  purpose.  This  would  cause  a  great  loss 
of  time,  besides  other  great  inconvenience. 

Great  care  should  be  exercised  in  the  selection  of  officers,  with- 
out any  view  to  patronage.  So  far  as  my  acquaintance  with  navy 
officers  extends,  I  do  not  know  any  man  whom  I  think  better 
qualified  to  command  the  expedition  than  Captain  Catesby  Jones, 
of  whose  character  and  attainments  I  have  had  many  opportunities 
of  judging.  Of  the  subordinate  officers,  I  am  not  so  well  qualified 
to  speak. 

In  order  to  prevent  ridicule,  from  announcing  discoveries  in 
navigation  as  new,  which  have  already  been  made,  or  making  a 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

pompous  display  of  trite  and  peurile  knowledge,  the  same  care 
should  be  taken  to  attach  such  scientific  persons  to  the  expedition 
as  are,  at  least,  acquainted  generally  with  what  is  already  known, 
and  have  kept  pace  with  the  advance  of  knowledge.  Either 
nothing  should  be  done  in  this  way,  or  it  should  be  well  and 
thoroughly  done.  It  strikes  me,  that  some  well-qualified  person 
should  be  charged  by  the  government  with  recording  the  incidents 
of  the  voyage,  and  that  the  work  should  be  published  under  its 
patronage. 

Such  is  a  brief  outline  of  my  ideas  on  this  subject,  which  I  have 
hastily  sketched,  in  a  manner  which  I  fear  you  will  hardly  be  able 
to  read,  as  my  eyes  are  at  this  moment  actually  distilling  hot 
water,  in  consequence  of  a  severe  cold  in  my  head.  You  will 
excuse  me  for  troubling  you  with  these  crude  notions,  which  are 
thrown  out  in  the  hope  that  they  may  not  be  altogether  useless  to 
you,  should  you,  as  I  presume  you  will,  be  charged  with  any 
active  agency  in  the  objects  of  the  expedition. 
I  am,  dear  sir, 

Your  friend  and  servant, 

J.  K.  PAULDING. 
J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
New-York. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


OTSTKB  BAY,  L.  I.,  June  10,  183S. 

DEAR  SIR — It  was  with  very  great  pleasure  that  I  recently 
perused  the  speech  of  Mr.  Hamer,  on  the  proposed  expedition. 
I  should  scarcely  have  expected  from  the  West  (removed  as  it  is 
by  geographical  position  from  the  ocean)  so  zealous  and  so  abl« 
an  exposition  of  the  motives  which  should  lead  our  country  to 
embark  in  this  glorious  enterprise.  It  is,  however,  a  gratifying 
evidence,  that  although  we  may  be  occasionally  influenced  by 
narrow  sectional  feelings,  yet  when  it  becomes  a  question  of  our 
common  country,  every  true-hearted  patriot  casts  aside  all  petty 
trammels,  and  fearlessly  acts  for  its  honour  and  its  glory. 

To  men  of  science,  in  every  part  of  the  civilized  world,  this 
expedition  will  be  hailed  with  intense  interest.  Unjustly  accused, 
as  we  have  been,  of  pursuing  a  dollar  and  cent  policy,  it  will  now 
b&  seen  that  we  have  entered  the  list  of  nations  in  a  career  of 
honourable  enterprise,  unconnected  with  pecuniary  considerations. 

As  an  humble  votary  of  science,  I  earnestly  hope  that  the  par- 
ticular departments,  which  must  necessarily  be  entrusted  to  citl 
zens,  will  be  the  subject  of  careful  and  severe  scrutiny,  and  none 
but  those  every  way  qualified,  will  be  selected  for  the  task.  I 
say  necessarily  entrusted  to  citizens,  for  with  all  my  respect  for 
the  professional  reputation  of  our  naval  officers,  it  is  preposterous 
to  expect  them  to  be  conversant  with  studies  entirely  foreign  to 
their  profession,  and  requiring  an  exclusive  and  unremitting  atten- 
tion for  a  series  of  years.  Natural  history,  during  the  last  twenty 


HO  CORRESPONDENCE. 

years,  has  advanced  with  giant  steps,  and  perhaps  it  is  not  too 
much  to  say,  has,  during  that  time,  made  more  progress  than  for 
the  preceding  century.  It  has  also,  within  the  same  period,  be- 
come so  minute  and  exact,  as  you  are  aware,  that  the  smallest 
inaccuracy  will  subject  the  expedition  to  the  ridicule  of  the  scien- 
tific world.  As,  therefore,  this  expedition  must  necessarily  be 
composed  of  different  classes,  it  becomes  highly  important  that 
such  selections  shall  be  made  as  will  be  most  likely  to  harmonize, 
and  the  personal  character,  as  well  as  the  acquirements  of  the 
individuals,  be  made  the  subject  of  inquiry. 

Power  is  a  fearful  thing  to  possess,  and  even  dangerous  to  wish 
for,  but  if  I  were  president,  I  natter  myself  I  could  indicate  the 
outlines  of  a  plan  that  would  insure  success.  I  would  select  for 
the  head  of  the  expedition,  a  man  of  robust  constitution  and  vig- 
orous intellect,  not  rashly  adventurous,  and  yet  shrinking  from  no 
proper  responsibility.  His  zeal  for  the  success  of  the  enterprise 
would  naturally  lead  him  to  be  prompt  and  decided  in  his  inter- 
course with  his  ofncers,  and  courteous  to  the  naturalists  under  his 
care.  Honourably  desirous  of  distinction  I  would  have  him  to  be, 
but  not  sordidly  anxious  to  reap  every  little  wreath  of  merit  that 
may  be  picked  up  by  his  subordinates.  Have  not  the  united 
curses  of  the  scientific  world  pursued,  even  beyond  the  grave,  that 
poor  creature  Baudin,  who  quarrelled  with  every  naturalist  in  his 
vessel  ?  Depend  upon  it,  history  and  posterity  will  impartially 
award  the  particular  quantum  meruit  due  to  each  and  every  mem- 
ber of  the  expedition.  With  such  a  man  as  I  have  described,  I 
would  associate  you,  and  entrusting  to  your  skill  and  sound  prac- 
tical experience  the  selection  and  organization  of  the  scientific 
corps,  would  feel  confident  of  success. 

Any  thing  that  I  can  do  in  aid  of  this  noble  enterprise  will  be 
cheerfully  done, .  and  you  can  confidently  depend  on  the  co- 
operation of  the  Lyceum  for  aid,  in  the  selection  of  books,  recom- 
mending suitable  assistants,  or  indicating  proper  objects  of  inquiry. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  Uj 

I  think  it  probable  that  I  shall  spend  the  autumn,  and  perhaps 
the  winter,  in  France.  If  I  can,  in  my  intercourse  with  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society,  or  the  learned  of  the  capital,  aid  you  in  the 
smallest  degree,  you  may  depend  upon  my  services. 

With  the  earnest  hope  that  your  most  sanguine  wishes  may  be 
realized, 

I  am,  dear  sir, 

Yours  faithfully  and  truly, 
- 

JAMES  E.  DE  KA1 

J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
New-York. 


112  CORRESPONDENCE. 


YALE  COLLEGE,  May  30,  1836. 

DEAR  SIR — The  expedition  destined  to  explore  the  Southern 
Ocean,  I  consider  as  of  the  most  vital  importance  to  science, 
navigation,  commerce,  benevolence,  and  national  honor. 

Upon  the  liberal  basis  on  which  our  government  has  placed  it, 
under  the  care  of  distinguished  naval  officers,  and  enriched  by  the 
first  scientific  acquirements  of  our  country,  we  have  every  cause 
to  anticipate  an  immense  accession  to  the  various  departments  of 
natural  science. 

Money,  in  an  expedition  so  national  as  the  present,  should  be  a 
secondary  object,  when  placed  in  competition  with  the  acquisition 
of  high  talent  in  the  walks  of  science. 

Instruments  of  every  kind  will  necessarily  be  one  of  the  first 
items  in  this  vast  undertaking.  I  would  recommend  that  dupli- 
cates, in  every  instance,  be  taken  out ;  and  where  frequent 
exposure  to  injury  may,  by  possibility,  take  place,  many  of  the 
same  kind  should  be  procured. 

Allow  me  to  present  to  your  attention  the  following  objects,  as 
deserving  of  especial  notice  in  your  voyage  towards  the  South 
Pole: 

1 .  Temperature  of  the  Air. 

2.  State  of  the  Barometer. 

3.  Winds  and  Clouds. 

4.  Thunderstorms  and  Electricity. 

5.  Tornadoes  and  Whirlwinds — direction  of  the  wind. 

6.  Currents— their  force,  width,  direction— Temperature. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  113 

Meteorology  and  Luminous  Matter. 

1.  Luminous  Meteors,  including  those  that  project  solid  stones 
and  malleable  iron. 

2.  Shooting  Stars. 

3.  Luminous  points  or  balls,  on  or  about  the  ship,  in  the  air, 
arid  on  the  waters. 

4.  Phosphorescence   of  the  sea,  whether  greater  or   less   in 
high  latitudes  ?     Let  the  water  be  filtered,  and  the  phosphoric 
animal  matter  be  examined  with  and  without  a  microscope :  the 
animals  from  which  it  is  derived  should  be  subjected  to  minutd 
examination. 

5.  Stars,  their  position ;  Constellations  ;  Comets. 

6.  Eclipses ;  Transits,  &c. 

Zoology* 

1.  Shells,  of  every  kind,  especially  with  the  animals  within 
them,  preserved  in  spirits. 

2.  Whales  —  Seals,  kind  and  number  of  each  seen;  the  highest 
southern  latitude  in  which  they  exist;  their  number  and  pecu- 
liarities. 

3.  The  Nautilus  Pompilius ;  the  common  pearly  Nautilus  of 
the  South  Seas  and  Pacific,  (or  any  analogous  animal,)  are  de- 
serving the  most  strict  search. 

4.  Gigantic  Sepias  or  Cuttle-fish,  if  found,  should  be  preserved 
in  spirits  and  brought  home  entire.    Coral  animals. 

Volcanoes,  Earthquakes,  fyc. 

1.  Earthquakes  and  concussions  of  the  sea. 

2.  Waterspouts. 

3.  Volcanic  eruptions. 

4.  Volcanic  ejections. 

5.  Marks  of  former  Volcanic  action. 

15 


114  CORRESPONDENCE. 

6.  Craters  and  currents,  and  various  ejections  of  extinct  Vol- 
canoes. 

7.  Volcanic  Islands  that  have  risen  from  the  sea ;  how  long  in 
rising ;  with  or  without  permanent  convulsions ;  period  in  which 

they  arose. 

- 

Geology,  Mineralogy,  fyc. 

1 .  Geological  specimens  and  minerals  of  every  variety. 

2.  Inclination  of  strata ;  dip,  direction,  and  thicknes. 

8.  Succession  of  strata  and  order  of  superposition. 

4.  Situation  of  fossiliferous  strata  in  relation  to  the  sea,  lakes, 
and  rivers. 

5.  Granite  veins,  or  veins  of  other  rocks,  with  their  intrusions. 

6.  Fossiliferous   rocks ;   in   every   case   whether    covered    by 
igneous  rocks  ;  if  not,  by  what  rocks  ? 

7.  Trap  rocks  ;  position  ;  intrusion  among  other  rocks  ;  altera- 
tions produced  by  their  contact. 

8.  Mountains,  their  height  and  form ;  on  the  coast  or  islands ; 
in  groups  or  single. 

9.  Elevation  of  coasts,  as  indicated  by  shells  adhering  to  rocky 
shores,  by  waving  water  lines  in  the  rocks ;  amount  of  elevation ; 
testimony  of  inhabitants  as  to  the  time  in  which  it  took  place  ;  sub- 
sidence of  coasts,  islands,  structures,  &c.,  and  the  proof  of  the  fact. 

10.  Coral  reef  islands  ;  above  or  under  water. 

1 1 .  Ice   Islands,    magnitude ;    depth ;    motion ;    in   groups,   or 
single ;   temperature  of  air  upon  approaching  them ;  and  of  the 
water  surrounding  them,  whether  transporting  rocks  or  stones,  and 
the  lowest  latitude  in  which  they  are  seen. 

"  2.  Surface  rocks  of  every  country ;  that  is,  rocks  in  situ. 

Magnetism,  Electricity,  <£c, 
1 .  Magnetism ;  dip  and  variation  of  the  needle. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  115 

Osteology. 

1.  Bones  of  large  animals,  imbedded  or  loose.     Bones  of  the 
ancient  saurions  or  lizards. 

2.  Bones  and  skeletons  of  fossil  fishes,  with  the  including  rock. 

.  / '  Entomology. 

1.  Insects. 

Ornithology. 
1.  Birds,  especially  within  the  Southern  Polar  Circle. 

Natural  History,  generally. 

1.  Animals  and  plants,  preserved — drawings  of. 

2.  The  Moluscou's  animals,  generally. 

3.  Bowlder  stones,  in  groups,  trains,  or  separately. 

4.  Beach  pebbles,  of  shores  of  the  sea,  of  lakes  and  rivers. 

5.  Many  specimens  in  all  branches  of  natural  history  to  be  pre- 
served, when  necessary,  in  spirits,  dried  or  otherwise. 

6.  Quadrupeds. 

7.  Seaweeds,  fixed  or  floating. 

8.  Tides  on  coast ;  their  heights. 

9.  Topographical  peculiarities,  of  every  kind. 

Every  friend  of  knowledge  looks  forward  to  the  finale  of  this 
undertaking  with  the  most  pleasing  anticipations,  while  every 
American  patriot  must  view  it  as  reflecting  additional  lustre  on 
the  flag  of  his  native  land. 

I  am,  dear  sir, 

Yours,  respectfully, 

B.  SILLIMAN. 
J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
New- York. 


116  CORRESPONDENCE. 


NEW  BEDFORD,  June  11,  1836. 

MY  DEAR  SIR — I  rejoice  that  I  can  at  last  congratulate  you  on 
the  success  of  your  darling  plan,  and  that  now  there  is  a  hope  of 
a  national  duty  being  performed.  To  me  it  is  surprising  that,  with 
all  our  power,  all  our  means,  and  all  our  boasted  attachment  to 
the  blood  of  our  kindred,  that  the  objects  which  this  enterprise 
must  promote,  have  been  so  long  neglected.  An  immense  amount 
of  property  in  a  distant  sea,  under  the  control  of  officers  whom 
skill  and  physical  courage  have  promoted,  without  much  regard  to 
education  or  general  knowledge  ;  transported  from  place  to  place 
upon  the  wide  waters  by  the  aid  of  men,  many  of  whom  are  driven 
from  home  by  their  vices,  and  when  on  shore  in  foreign  ports, 
subject  to  no  other  law  than  that  which  their  own  passions  pre- 
scribe; no  arrangement  with  other  governments  to  afford  aid 
where  riot  and  mutiny  run  mad  ;  and  sometimes,  the  anomaly  of 
our  own  ships  of  war  being  unable,  from  their  peculiar  circum- 
stances, to  give  the  aid  which  is  required  for  the  prosecution  of 
our  enterpi  ies.  These,  and  a  thousand  other  evils,  which  none 
but  those  intimately  acquainted  with  the  state  of  our  fisheries  can 
understand,  demand,  in  the  most  emphatic  terms,  that  the  arm  of 
our  government  should  be  stretched  out  to  the  remotest  island  of 
the  sea. 

Why,  my  dear  Sir,  let  a  stranger  look  on  the  floating  interests 
of  New  Bedford  and  Nantucket ;  let  him  be  made  acquainted  with 
all  the  hair-breadth  escapes,  all  the  real  accidents,  and  all  the 
vacillations  of  fortune  which  result  from  moral  as  well  as  physical 
causes,  and  unite  to  make  up  the  whole  of  a  South  Sea  voyage, 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

and  that  stranger,  be  he  learned  or  simple,  would  stand  confounded 
at  the  happy  result  which  generally  takes  place.  It  would  seem 
more  like  the  effect  of  ordination  than  calculation ;  more  like  fate 
than  perseverance ;  and  we  should  be  set  down  as  madmen  for 
risking,  under  such  circumstances,  our  means  of  support,  our 
hopes  of  independence,  and  all  the  benefits  resulting  from  it, 
to  those  who  lean  upon  us  for  subsistence.  And  yet,  with  this 
picture  before  us,  we  are  literally  building  up  cities  out  of  the 
product  of  elements  that  seem  too  unstable  for  self-support.  But 
what  a  moral  does  it  teach  ?  That  the  good,  rather  than  the  evil 
influences  of  nature  and  of  the  heart,  are  the  presiding  power  of  the 
world  !  And  sometimes  it  looks  as  if  that  power  were  enough  to 
control  all  things  for  good.  But  what  fools  we  should  be  to  draw 
no  benefit  from  our  ability  to  concentrate  the  wisdom  and  virtue 
of  states  for  the  promotion  of  the  happiness  of  all.  Now,  apply 
this  to  our  marine  colonies.  Why  should  we  have  governors, 
judges,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  courts,  in  territories  where 
there  is  a  bare  possibility  that  an  Indian  may  be  murdered,  or 
become  a  murderer  ;  steal  a  horse,  or  have  his  horse  stolen ;  and 
not  have  a  superintending  influence  abroad,  where  our  ships  are 
daily  traversing  from  island  to  island,  and  from  sea  to  sea,  with 
the  celerity  and  precision  of  the  invisible  dwellers  of  the  deep ; 
that  the  savage  may  be  awed  into  respect,  and  the  mutineer's  hand 
be  bound  down  in  submission  ?  Would  not  this  change  the  face 
of  things,  and  make  the  merchant  lie  down  more  comfortably, 
when  he  knew  there  was  a  diminution  of  the  chance  of  misfor- 
tune by  sea,  not  only  by  the  proximity  of  aid,  but  also  by  the 
acknowledged  influence  of  moral  power  which  is  felt  everywhere, 
that  a  true  and  generous  hand  is  extended  ?  I  see  no  way  that  we 
can  look  for  improvement,  in  this  high  view  of  the  subject,  but  by 
the  means  which,  through  your  exertions  more  than  those  of  any 
other  man  living,  are  now  appropriated  for  it ; — and  may  Heavfin 
prosper  you  and  the  enterprise.  With  our  growth  it  must  grow ; 

'''  '  ' 


118  CORRESPONDENCE. 

and  though  the  "  British  drum  may  hail  the  dawn,  every  hour  of 
the  day,"  let  the  moral  light  of  the  American  nation  illumine 
every  sea. 

You  may  call  me  a  dreamer ;  (but  mark  me,  this  is  no  dream,) 
and  if  you  do,  I  can  bear  almost  anything  from  you.  But  ever 
since  our  baby  expedition  of  the  Annawan,  that  lovely  little  sea- 
bird,  I  have  entertained  great  hopes  from  the  future  exertions,  to 
the  same  point,  of  an  efficient  equipment. 

There  is  a  rumor,  a  kind  of  inarticulate  whisper,  which  some- 
times intimates  that  you  may  not  hold  the  position  you  deserve  in 
this  high  adventure ;  but  those  who  would  wish  it,  and,  perhaps, 
wish  me  to  give  words  and  form  to  their  own  "  misgivings,"  find 
no  response.  I  do  not  even  understand  them,  for  I  cannot  be- 
lieve it.  Ever  since  I  heard  your  lecture  here  on  the  whale  fish- 
try,  as  connected  with  the  Annawan's  expedition,  to  say  nothing 
of  our  many  long  and  social  conferences,  and  found  that  an  Ohio 
boy  (excuse  me,  for  we  are  apt  to  play,  if  we  do  not  feel  the  old 
man,  when  we  deal  with  our  juniors,)  could  teach  the  descendants 
of  Nantucket  something  of  their  own  craft,  I  have  had  only  one 
opinion,  and  that  is,  that  you  ought  to  hold  a  prominent  place  in 
the  enterprise.  For,  let  there  be  power,  skill,  and  science  com- 
bined, together  with  the  highest  moral  qualities  our  navy  affords ; 
and  all  these  things  must  be,  still,  without  that  enthusiastic  devo- 
tion and  love  of  adventure,  which  would  give  soul  to  the  under- 
taking, it  would  not  be  so  likely  to  succeed.  Yet,  if  there  be  any 
truth  in  these  things,  let  me  know  it ;  and  though  I  will  not  pro- 
fess much,  I  could  send  you  a  good  voice  from  the  east.  And  if 
you  should  wish  my  services,  you  will  find  me  in  Boston  again 
the  last  of  this  month.  I  expect  to  leave  here  the  next  week  for 
Hartford,  and,  after  passing  a  few  days  there,  shall  bring  up  at 
the  council  chamber  of  old  Massachusetts  on  the  28th  of  June. 
Our  governor  makes  short  sessions,  and  I  shall  have  plenty  of 
time  for  you.  We  shall  probably  sit  till  after  the  4th  of  July,  and 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

there  is  always  something  in  Boston  worth  seeing  and  hearing  OB 
that  day.  At  all  events,  we  can  "  keep  independence,"  so  why 
not  meet  me  there  ?  But  now  I'll  improve  this  hint  to  cut  short 
— I  mean  off — this  long  letter,  and  say  the  rest  when  we  meet. 
In  the  meantime,  believe  me  truly 

Your  friend, 

BENJ.  RODMAN. 

J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 

New  York. 


120  CORRESPONDENCE. 


NEW  YORK,  June  15,  1836. 

DEAR  SIR — The  contemplated  exploring  expedition  to  the  South 
Seas  has  again  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Lyceum  of  Natural 
History,  and  I  trust  I  need  not  now  assure  you  of  the  deep  inter- 
est we  feel  in  its  successful  prosecution.  Allow  me  to  thank  you 
for  the  information  you  enabled  me  to  make  known  to  that  society, 
and  to  congratulate  you  that  your  exertions  have  been  so  far 
Crowned  with  success.  You  may  remember  that  some  years  ago 
I  had  the  honour  of  a  correspondence  with  the  Navy  Department, 
upon  the  subject  of  the  scientific  objects  of  the  expedition,  &c. ;  as 
I  had  then  reason  to  suppose,  that  whatever  had  been  matured  in 
relation  to  those  matters  had  been  committed  to  you,  for  your  use 
On  a  subsequent  voyage,  you  will  excuse  me  in  calling  your  notice 
to  those  transactions. 

It  may  be  premature  to  address  you  in  this  way;  but  your 
former  services,  present  exertions,  and  the  better  part  of  a  life 
devoted  to  the  South  Sea  discoveries,  have  so  identified  you  with 
this  expedition,  that  I  have  no  hesitation  in  doing  so.  You  very 
well  know  that  it  is  the  cause  of  natural  science  that  I  have  very 
much  at  heart.  I  speak  for  many  others,  as  well  as  myself,  in 
saying,  that  some  anxiety  is  felt  that  the  organization  of  this  expe- 
dition should  include  a  sufficiently  numerous  and  skilful  scientific 
corps.  Geographical  discoveries  would  redound  to  the  fame  and 
honour  of  a  navigator;  but  with  public  men  and  public  means, 
we  hope  for  something  for  the  honour  of  the  nation.  The  present 
age  would  not  be  satisfied,  under  these  circumstances,  with  merely 
an  amended  chart.  Animate  and  inanimate  creation  will  be  pre- 
sented in  each  degree  of  latitude  or  longitude  that  is  traversed 


CORRESPONDENCE.  jgj 

The  means  of  observation  and  determination  are  within  the  power 
of  those  who  control ;  and,  should  this  opportunity  be  lost,  it  might 
well  happen  that  the  most  useful  and  interesting  discoveries  would 
have  been  overlooked.  Let  me  entreat  you  to  urge,  in  the  proper 
place,  that  the  scientific  objects  of  the  expedition  be  duly  provided 
for.  Geology,  zoology,  botany,  mineralogy,  are  those  in  which  I 
take  the  most  interest ;  but  there  are  other  philosophical  inquiries 
with  equal  claims  to  notice. 

The  very  liberal  appropriations  by  congress  seem  to  have  pro- 
vided for  a  thorough  fulfilment  of  the  project.  To  fall  short  in  any 
particular  will  not  be  a  reproach  to  them.  The  details  are  of 
much  importance,  and  have  been  so  long  and  so  well  studied  by 
you,  that  it  is  not  for  me  to  mention  them.  The  old  difficulty  of 
subjecting  citizens  to  military  usages  in  public  ships  has  thwarted 
the  success  of  so  many  enterprises,  that  it  should  be  well  con- 
sidered. Commanders  of  liberal  minds  and  enlarged  views  can 
alone  avoid  them.  I  believe  the  mistake  often  arises  in  consider- 
ing the  same  kind  of  discipline  essential,  whether  in  search  of  an 
island  or  an  enemy.  v,  r  ^ 

It  was  my  design,  when  I  commenced,  simply  to  congratulate 
you  upon  the  present  prospects  of  the  expedition,  and  to  call  your 
attention  to  the  history  of  former  and  similar  preparations ;  but  I 
have  been  led  on  by  the  interest  I  feel  in  the  results  of  this  enter- 
prise. We  have  long  watched  your  untiring  exertions  in  this  mat- 
ter, and  trust  that  the  time  has  arrived  when  the  wishes  of  your 
friends,  and  I  believe  I  may  add  of  the  public,  are  to  be  gratified 
in  learning  that  the  superintendence  or  direction  of  the  civil  depart- 
ment is  to  be  chiefly  committed  to  you ;  at  all  events,  be  assured  it 
is  the  wish  of 

Your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

JOS.  DELAFIELD, 
J  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
New  York. 

F  1& 


122  CORRESPONDENCE. 


BOSTON,  June  6,  1836. 

DEAR  SIR — In  common  with  your  numerous  friends  in  this 
city,  I  congratulate  you  on  the  successful  termination  of  your 
application  to  congress  in  behalf  of  a  South  Sea  expedition. 

I  say  your  application :  for  certainly,  sir,  to  your  unwearied 
zeal,  and  untiring  exertions,  this  great  undertaking  owes  its  exist- 
ence ;  and  I  learn,  with  much  satisfaction,  that  it  will  still  continue 
to  have  the  advantages  of  your  personal  presence  and  experience. 
The  scientific,  as  well  as  the  commercial  world,  look  to  this  under- 
taking as  destined  to  expand  its  stores ;  and  I  trust  that  that  de 
partment,  in  which,  you  know,  I  am  most  interested,  will  receive 
its  full  share,  and  that,  among  the  savans  of  the  expedition,  a 
Comparative  Anatomist  of  eminence  may  be  found.  For  him,  there 
will  be  a  vast  field  yet  unexplored ;  for  it  is  especially  true,  that  in 
Natural  History  we  are  never  to  rest  satisiied  with  what  has  been 
done,  for  Nature  demonstrates  to  us  that  her  stores  are  boundless. 
The  gentleman  selected  should  be  a  practical  anatomist,  one  quali- 
fied to  investigate  the  intimate  structure  of  animals,  and  prepare 
them  for  preservation.  Especially  should  he  be  a  good  physiolo- 
gist, for  there  are  many  mechanical  anatomists,  whose  usefulness 
extend  not  beyond  the  dexterity  of  the  hands.  In  short,  he  should 
be  one  capable  of  making  researches  under  the  influences  of  an 
expanded  philosophy,  upon  the  phenomena  of  life  in  their  totality. 
For  such  a  one,  those  distant  seas  and  shores  will  yield  a  rich  har- 
vest; and  we  may  now  have  an  opportunity  to  repay,  in  some 
measure,  the  debts  so  long  due  to  the  old  world,  by  giving  to  it,  in 
our  turn,  some  amount  of  our  own  practical  knowledge.  It  is  our 


CORRESPONDENCE.  123 

first  opportunity  for  such  a  reciprocity  :  may  it  be  well  improved. 
The  Society  of  Natural  History  unite  their  best  wishes  for  yovnr 
continued  success. 

With  great  esteem, 

I  remain  your  friend, 

WINSLOW  LEWIS,  Jiw. 
J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  ESQ., 

New  York. 

-     *f  -'''--\. 


124 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


PHILADELPHIA,  June  20,  1836. 

DEAR  SIR — I  received  the  copies  you  sent  of  Mr.  Hamer's  in- 
teresting speech,  and  must  beg  you  to  excuse  my  not  acknowledg- 
ing them  before  ;  I  have  been  prevented  by  engagements  which  so 
often  unexpectedly  occur  to  interfere  with  our  intentions.  In  this 
community,  there  is  but  one  sentiment  in  regard  to  the  excellent 
undertaking  to  which  Mr.  Hamer  refers,  and  with  which  your  own 
name  is  so  honorably  connected. 

It  is  universally  approved.  Men  of  science  look  forward  to  im- 
portant results,  which  may  place  our  country  and  our  enterprising 
citizens,  with  distinction  equal  to  others,  in  the  contest  for  useful 
discoveries.  Mercantile  men,  with  one  voice,  say  that  the  greatest 
benefits  will  be  afforded  to  commerce  and  navigation. 

These  bold  and  adventurous  voyages  are  the  chivalrous  exploits 
of  our  times ;  they  require  the  same  courage  and  enterprise,  disin- 
terestedness and  perseverance,  as  those  of  old :  but  how  much 
more  virtuous  and  enlightened  in  their  motives  !  How  much  more 
conducive  to  human  prosperity  and  happiness  in  their  results  ! 

To  you,  who  have  studied  the  subject  so  fully,  and  devoted  to  it 
so  much  thought  and  experience,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say 
any  thing  as  to  the  contemplated  arrangements  ;  but  I  do  hope  the 
expedition  will  be  so  fitted  out,  as  to  obtain,  in  the  fullest  extent,  all 
those  advantages  in  regard  to  science,  for  which  there  will  be  so 
fair  an  opportunity. 

The  first  American  voyage  of  discovery  ought  to  be,  in  its  re- 
sults, worthy  of  the  genius  and  enterprise  of  our  people.  I  am 


CORRESPONDENCE.  125 

sure  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  will  view  it  in  this  spirit ;  but  schol- 
ars and  scientific  inquirers  seem  to  be  so  much  out  of  place  in  the 
arrangement  of  naval  or  military  expeditions,  that  a  good  word  must 
be  said  in  their  behalf. 

The  officers  of  Napoleon  used  to  laugh  at  the  savans  who 
accompanied  the  army  of  Egypt;  but  how  much  have  their  re- 
searches, drawings,  and  writings  added  to  the  fame  of  that  remark- 
able campaign ! 

I  have  not  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  Dr.  Patterson,  but  I  am 
very  certain,  from  his  well  known  devotion  to  the  cause  of  science, 
that  he  will  feel  the  greatest  interest  in  this  undertaking,  and  give 
that  aid  and  advice  which  his  talents  and  acquirements  so  peculiarly 
enable  him  to  do. 

Believe  me  very  faithfully  yours, 

H.  D.  GILPIN. 

J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
Washington. 


i 


' 


'  t 


126  CORRESPONDENCE. 


' 
WASHINGTON,  July  3,  1836. 


DEAR  SIR — I  am  truly  happy  to  hear  that  a  voyage  of  discov- 
ery to  the  Southern  Pacific  is  at  length  resolved  on,  and  that  one 
of  your  activity,  perseverance,  and  practical  good  sense,  is  to  be 
connected  with  it.  The  glory  which  will  redound  to  the  nation 
from  such  an  expedition,  well  fitted  out,  is  a  pleasing  reflection  to 
the  patriot ;  but  the  new  channels  that  it  will  open  to  pur  com- 
merce, and  the  solid  additions  it  will  give  to  science,  are-  far  more 
important  considerations. 

I  trust  that  no  restricted  or  ill-timed  notions  of  economy  on  the 
part  of  the  government  may  mar  the  full  completion  of  the  enter- 
prise. Especially,  a  sufficient  number  of  really  competent  men  of 
science  should  be  obtained,  at  any  price  ;  nor  should  more  than  one 
branch  be  confided  to  any  individual,  if  it  can  be  avoided.  The 
more  limited  the  field  of  each,  the  more  complete  will  be  his  re- 
searches. Thus  there  should  be  a  natural  historian,  a  botanist,  an 
entomologist,  a  geologist,  a  mineralogist,  &c.  In  addition  to  the 
physician  or  surgeon,  unless  he  be  skilful  in  that  branch,  there 
should  also  be  a  good  anatomist.  Not  less  than  three  painters, 
also,  should  be  secured,  viz. :  in  landscape  painting,  portraits,  and 
natural  history.  The  anatomist  and  portrait  painter  together  may 
throw  new  light  on  the  varieties  of  the  human  race.  If  possible, 
it  is  important  to  obtain  one  well  acquainted  with  languages  and 
philology,  as  they  still  require  much  elucidation  in  the  regions  you 
will  visit.  The  commercial  investigations,  I  presume,  you  will 
take  under  your  own  charge.  I  should  drop  many  suggestions, 


CORRESPONDENCE.  127 

were  I  not  convinced  that  you  will  fully  consult  the  ample  instruc- 
tions heretofore  given  in  the  great  European  voyages  of  discovery. 
I  hope  your  voyage  may  be  prosperous,  and  the  forerunner  of  a 
series  of  similar  expeditions.     In  a  time  of  profound  peace,  and 
with  an  overflowing  treasury,  what  policy  is  more  worthy  of  a  great 
nation  than  one  which  advances  the  wealth  and  happiness  of  its 
own  citizens,  and  at  the  same  time  gives  impulse  to  the  progress 
of  science  and  civilization  throughout  the  world  ? 
I  remain,  sir,  with  respect, 
Your  servant, 

HENRY  JUNIUS  NOTT. 
J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 


128  CORRESPONDENCE. 


' 
NEAR  PROSPECT  HILL,  VA.,  May  I,  1836. 

DEAR  SIR — You  ask  my  opinion  with  regard  to  the  number  and 
description  of  vessels  most  proper  to  ensure  a  successful  prose- 
cution of  the  voyage  of  exploration  authorized  by  a  recent  act  of 
congress. 

To  answer  your  inquiries  satisfactorily,  I  ought,  perhaps,  to  ask 
what  are  the  leading  objects  of  the  expedition  ?  Judging  from  the 
report  of  the  senate's  committee,  where  the  bill  originated ;  from 
the  tenour  of  debate  on  that  bill  in  both  branches  of  the  national 
legislature ;  from  the  discussion  of  the  subject  in  the  public  prints 
for  the  last  ten  years ;  and  from  my  own  observations  and  reflec 
tions,  I  conclude  that  the  objects  of  the  enterprise  may  be  classed 
under  two  general  heads— scientific  and  military;  that  is,  military 
so  far  only  as  may  be  necessary  for  self-preservation  and  defence 
against  the  barbarous,  and  sometimes  ferocious,  natives  of  the 
countless  islands  which  so  thickly  stud  the  most  extensive,  and 
perhaps  the  most  interesting  field  for  scientific  observation  and 
research  that  will  be  visited  in  the  course  of  the  voyage :  I  allude 
to  the  great  equatorial  sea,  stretching  from  the  west  coast  of 
America  to  the  Asiatic  shores. 

Under  the  scientific  head,  we  naturally  place  every  branch  of 
natural  history,  philosophy,  and  the  sciences  generally,  embracing 
every  denomination  and  classification  recognised  by  the  literati  of 
the  present  day.  These  various  and  most  interesting  objects  ought 
only  to  be  confided  to  the  care  of  ivell  qualified  persons,  who  have 
made  the  department  for  which  they  offer  themselves  the  peculiar 
subject  of  long  study,  and  with  the  advantage  of  competent  masters, 


CORRESPONDENCE.  129 

and  free  access  to  well  selected  cabinets  and  specimens  from 
nature. 

Without  intending,  in  the  least  degree,  to  disparage  my  brother 
officers'  just  claim  to  general  intelligence,  even  beyond  the  neces- 
sary qualifications,  I  must  nevertheless  say  that  I  think  it  more  than 
probable  that  most  of  the  departments  in  science  could  be  better 
filled  from  some  of  the  most  celebrated  literary  institutions  of  the 
country  than  could  be  expected  from  the  navy ;  but  as  the  expedi- 
tion is  to  be  a  national  one,  native  born  citizens  only  should  be 
allowed  to  participate  in  it. 

With  this  understanding  of  the  objects  of  the  voyage,  I  should 
say,  the  very  best  organization  of  the  force,  so  as  to  leave  nothing 
to  chance,  and  to  place  it  perfectly  within  the  power  of  those 
intrusted  with  its  conduct  to  meet  the  high  expectations  of  this 
nation  and  of  the  scientific  world  at  large,  it  ought  to  consist  of 
two  schooners  of  about  one  hundred  tons  burthen  each,  two  brigs 
of  two  hundred  tons,  and  a  small  frigate,  or  at  least  a  large  frigate- 
built  sloop  of  war. 

The  brigs  and  schooners  ought  to  be  built  for  the  express  pur- 
pose ;  they  should  be  strong,  but  not  clumsy ;  on  the  contrary,  they 
ought  to  be  fair  sailers,  work  and  stow  well,  with  comfortable  ac- 
commodations for  all  on  board.  The  largest  ship  might— ought 
to  be — the  little  new  six-and-thirty  gun  frigate  now  ready  for 
launching  from  the  Gosport  navy  yard.  I  believe  she  was  built  to 
replace  the  Macedonian,  but  she  is  quite  too  small  to  bear  the  name 
of  a  prize  ship  pronounced,  when  captured,  to  be  fully  equal  to  her 
noble  captor,  the  United  States  of  44  guns ;  but  be  that  as  it  may, 
the  ship  I  allude  to,  on  the  stocks  at  Gosport,  is  the  most  appropri- 
ate vessel  which  the  navy  can  supply  as  the  principal  ship  for  the 
exploring  service  ;  and,  in  addition  to  the  vessels  above  enumerated, 
it  will,  of  course,  occur  to  every  reflecting  mind,  that  a  storeship 
of  three  or  four  hundred  tons  burthen  will  be  an  indispensable 

accompaniment. 

17 


130  CORRESPONDENCE. 

The  foregoing  vessels  ought  to  be  fully  and  ably  officered  from 
the  navy,  but  there  should  be  no  supernumeraries  allowed  in  any 
of  the  departments  ;  the  petty  officers,  seamen,  and  marines  should 
be  chosen  men,  and  ought  to  be  engaged  for  that  particular  ser- 
vice; the  crews  of  the  brigs  and  schooners  ought  to  be  limited  in 
number,  sufficient  only  for  safe  and  easy  navigation  when  making 
a  passage,  but  to  be  increased  from  the  frigate  whenever  engaged 
in  active  operations. 

The  decided  advantage  which  such  an  expedition  would  have 
over  any  other,  or  all  others,  which  have  been  sent  out  by  Euro- 
pean nations,  is  too  manifest  to  require  argument  to  sustain  the 
plan ;  suffice  it,  then,  to  enumerate  a  few  of  the  advantages  which 
would  accrue  from  the  employment  of  such  vessels  as  I  have  above 
described.  First,  the  ample  and,  comfortable  accommodation  of  all 
connected  with  the  enterprise  :  no  vessel  would  at  any  time  be 
crowded,  nor  ivould  operations  be  paralyzed  for  want  of  men  in 
any  situation,  whether  for  the  arduous  duties  of  open  boats,  or  as 
guards  for  protecting  the  exploring  and  surveying  parties  against 
the  natives;  for,  as  before  intimated,  when  a  station  is  reached,  the 
frigate  would  occupy  some  safe  and  convenient  position,  and  from 
her  own  crew  fully  man  the  smaller  vessels,  and  furnish  extra 
boats  for  surveys  and  exploring  and  scientific  operations.  She 
would,  too,  be  the  safe  depository  for  the  valuable  and  costly  instru- 
ments to  be  used  on  the  expedition,  as  well  as  the  receptacle  for  all 
specimens  collected  at  each  station  by  the  scientific  corps,  the 
chiefs  of  which  would,  of  course,  be  attached  to  the  largest  ship, 
and,  when  on  the  passage  from  station  to  station,  they  could,  in 
concert,  revise  and  arrange  appropriately  the  collections  they  had 
made. 

The  presence  of  a  frigate  among  the  islands  would  certainly  be 
more  apt  to  impress  the  natives  with  a  just  idea  of  our  national  and 
naval  power  than  any  other  description  of  ships,  however  much  in- 
creased in  number,  if  divided  into  smaller  vessels;  and  her  magni- 


CORRESPONDENCE.  131 

tude  and  force  would  strike  the  islanders  with  such  aioe,  as  at  once 
to  guaranty  their  friendship,  and  perhaps  effectually  guard  against 
and  prevent  any  of  those  ever-to-be-lamented  conflicts  which  have 
so  often  interrupted  the  progress  of  scientific  research,  and  caused 
the  death  of  many  voyagers  as  well  as  natives.  The  protection, 
too,  which  such  an  expedition  would  necessarily  afford  to  our 
whalemen  and  traders,  everywhere  to  be  found  in  the  South  Seas, 
ought  not  to  be  lost  sight  of;  and  the  statesman  whose  enlarged 
and  humane  conceptions  shall  furnish  the  means  of  procuring  such 
happy  results,  will  well  merit,  and  certainly  receive,  the  lasting 
gratitude  of  the  philanthropic  of  every  country  and  of  every  age  to 
come. 

You  ask,  too,  what  time  would  be  required  for  the  preparation  of 
an  expedition?  L  do  not  know  what  facilities  are  at  present  within 
the  control  of  the  Navy  Department  for  building  small  vessels: 
but  our  means  of  increasing  the  navy  must  be  greatly  overrated  or 
criminally  neglected,  if  such  an  expedition  as  I  have  suggested 
could  not  be  ready  for  sea  in  four  months  from  the  issuing  of 
orders ;  at  any  rate,  the  vessels  could  be  ready  by  the  time  some 
of  the  instruments,  which  report  says  must  be  imported  from 
Europe,  could  be  obtained. 

I  have  already  extended  my  remarks,  in  answering  your  inter- 
rogatories, to  what  you  will  probably  consider  an  inordinate  length , 
which,  however,  I  am  sure  you  will  readily  excuse,  when  you  bear 
in  mind  my  former  connexion  with  the  projected  expedition  of 
1828,  and  the  deep  interest  I  have  ever  taken  in  the  subject;  and 
that  you  will  bear  with  me  still  a  little  longer,  while  I  state  a  ques- 
tion which  has  often  been  put  to  me,  (though  never  by  yourself,) 
viz. :  What  situation,  if  any,  will  Mr.  Reynolds  occupy  in  the 
expedition  ?  / 

The  answer  to  this  interrogatory,  I  presume,  rests  with  yourself; 
for  it  cannot  be  denied  that  to  you,  and  to  your  unwearied  exer- 
tions, is  due  the  credit  of  so  interesting  the  public  upon  the  subject 


132  CORRESPONDENCE. 

as  to  induce  congress  to  pass  the  law.  Who,  then,  has  a  better 
claim  to  participate  in  its  toils,  and  to  share  its  honours,  than  he 
who  may  be  justly  called  the  originator  of  the  voyage  —  who  can 
bring  so  much  of  valuable  knowledge,  derived  from  various  sources, 
some  of  which  you  alone  have  been  permitted  to  drawfro?n,  as  you 
could?  J  mean  not  to  flatter  when  I  say,  not  another  who  is  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States. 

Then  it  cannot  be  doubted  but  that  any  commander  qualified  to 
conduct  such  an  enterprise  as  the  law  contemplates,  as  well  as  the 
executive  head  under  whose  auspices  it  will  be  sent  out,  will  gladly 
avail  themselves  of  your  services,  to  aid  them  in  organizing  the 
scientific  department,  and  further  identify  you  with  the  expedition, 
by  assigning  to  you  some  honourable  station  in  it.  ,*>^  t 

Such  are  my  views,  very  hastily  expressed,  as  you  know.  Did 
time  or  occasion  allow,  they  might  be  greatly  enlarged ;  but,  at 
present,  I  have  only  time  to  repeat  my  ardent  wishes  for  complete 
success  in  all  your  undertakings,  and  to  express  the  hope  that  the 
just  expectations  of  a  liberal  public  may  not  be  disappointed  by  a 
defective  organization,  as  regards  ships,  or  by  the  indiscriminate 
appointment  of  persons  incongruous  in  their  dispositions,  and  who 
never  act  in  perfect  concert,  nor  harmonize  in  social  intercourse. 
I  remain,  dear  sir, 

Yours,  faithfully, 

THOMAS  AP  C.  JONES. 

J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
New-York. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  133 


HOUSE  OP  REPRESENTATIVES,  ) 
Washington,  June  10,  1836.  5 

DEAR  SIR — The  passage  of  the  appropriation  authorizing  an 
expedition  to  the  South  Seas  has  given  me  unfeigned  satisfaction. 
It  is  a  design  honourable  to  the  congress  which  proposed  it,  and  to 
the  administration  by  which  it  is  to  be  directed. 

If  suitably  executed,  it  cannot  fail  to  be  useful  to  the  domestic 
interests  of  the  country,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  elevate  us  in  the 
eyes  of  Europe.  It  is  notorious  how  much  England  and  other 
countries  have  done  towards  the  maritime  exploration  of  the  globe, 
while  we,  as  a  nation,  have  been  passive.  Allow  me  to  relate  to 
you  a  little  anecdote  in  illustration  of  this.  I  enjoyed  the  pleasure, 
whilst  at  Madrid,  some  years  ago,  of  the  personal  acquaintance  of 
Don  Martin  Fernandez  de  Navarette,  author  of  a  valuable  work  on 
the  voyages  and  discoveries  of  his  countrymen,  and  himself  one  of 
the  most  learned  and  estimable  of  the  public  men  of  modem  Spain. 
At  that  time,  he  exercised  supervision  over  an  establishment  in 
Madrid,  called  the  "  Deposito  Hidrografico,"  which  is  a  govern- 
ment bureau  for  the  preparation  of  maps  and  charts,  particularly 
of  the  Spanish  possessions  in  the  two  hemispheres.  In  exhibiting 
to  me  this  establishment,  he  expressed  his  regret  and  surprise  that 
the  United  States,  a  nation  so  opulent,  and  possessed  of  such  ex- 
tensive commerce,  was  so  totally  neglectful  of  its  duty  to  science, 
to  itself,  and  to  the  world,  in  this  matter. 

Spain  herself  had  realized  the  advantages  of  the  survey  of  her 
own  coast  by  Topino,  so  well  known  to  navigators  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean. She  was  continually  collecting  and  multiplying  charts 
*•«*  "..'  *,  *  • 


134  CORRESPONDENCE. 

relative  to  her  colonies  in  the  East  and  West  Indies,  and  the  ad- 
joining seas.  She  was  exchanging  the  results  of  her  observations 
with  other  nations.  But  when  she  looked  to  the  United  States  for 
information  as  to  our  coast,  she  found  that  a  public  survey  of  it  had 
been  begun  only  to  be  abandoned;  that  the  books  and  charts  in  use 
concerning  it  were  the  imperfect  productions  of  private  individuals; 
and  that,  while  we  had  done  so  little  for  the  exploration  of  our  own 
waters,  we  had  done  absolutely  nothing,  in  comparison  with  the 
efforts  which  England,  France,  Russia,  and  even  Spain  herself, 
were  making,  to  acquire  accurate  knowledge  of  the  remote  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  seas. 

Don  Martin  presented  these  views  to  me  very  strongly;  and  I 
confess,  when  I  reflected  on  the  relative  conditions  of  Spain  and 
the  United  States,  and  saw  what  the  one  was  doing  and  what  the 
other  was  not  doing,  I  could  not  but  feel  the  force  of  his  re- 
proaches. Since  that  time,  the  public  survey  of  our  own  coast 
has  been  commenced,  and  pursued  with  vigour ;  and  the  expedition 
now  in  contemplation  will  do  still  more  to  set  us  right  in  the  esti- 
mation of  other  cultivated  nations  of  Christendom. 

I  think  great  credit  is  due  to  you  for  the  successful  exertions  you 
have  made  to  awaken  the  attention  of  the  public  and  of  congress  to 
this  subject ;  and  I  hope  that  justice  will  be  done  to  you  in  the 
arrangements  to  be  made  for  the  expedition. 
I  am,  dear  sir, 

Very  faithfully,  yours, 

C.  GUSHING. 

J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
New  York. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  135 


BOSTON,  July  30,  1836. 

,  ,f 

SIR — I  have  seen,  with  much  satisfaction,  that  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  has  decided  to  fit  out  an  exploring  expedition, 
with  a  particular  view  to  the  Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans,  on  which 
you  had  already  collected  so  much  valuable  information.  The 
expedition,  as  the  newspapers  inform  us,  is  to  be  placed  upon  the 
most  liberal  footing,  in  respect  to  all  subjects  of  scientific  inquiry ; 
and  I  trust,  with  the  aid  of  the  intelligent  commander  and  officers, 
we  shall  have  rich  additions  to  the  stock  of  knowledge  already  in 
possession  of  the  learned  world. 

Feeling  an  extreme  solicitude  that  the  expedition  should,  for  the 
honor  of  our  country,  accomplish  as  much  as  possible,  and  that  no 
disappointment  should  be  experienced,  in  any  department  of  know- 
ledge, by  the  learned  of  Europe,  as  well  as  of  our  own  country,  (for 
this  is  the  common  cause  of  all  nations,  and  not  of  America  alone,) 
I  hope  it  will  not  be  deemed  obtrusive  if  I  should  again  ask  your 
attention,  and,  through  you,  that  of  the  government,  to  one  import- 
ant subject  of  inquiry,  about  which  I  formerly  conversed  with  you: 
I  mean  the  various  native  languages  of  the  different  tribes  of  peo- 
ple that  may  be  visited  by  the  expedition.  I  take  the  liberty  thus 
particularly  to  invite  attention  to  this  department  of  knowledge,  be- 
cause it  has  not  hitherto  been  so  much  the  subject  of  investigation 
with  the  intelligent  and  enterprising  navigators  and  travellers  of  our 
own  country,  as  it  has  with  those  of  some  other  nations;  among 
whom,  the  Germans  stand  pre-eminent.  But  yet,  as  a  portion  of 
that  knowledge  which  all  are  desirous  to  obtain  respecting  the 


136  CORRESPONDENCE. 

human  race,  and  as  a  source  of  indispensable  materials  for  science, 
the  investigation  of  these  aboriginal  languages  has  the  strongest 
claims  to  our  attention ;  and  if  the  value  attached  to  this,  as  well 
as  other  branches  of  science,  may  be  in  any  degree  estimated  by 
the  high  rank  of  the  men  who  have  been  engaged  in  its  pursuit,  it 
is  certainly  the  fact,  that,  at  the  present  day,  the  general  study  of 
languages,  or  comparative  philology,  has  enlisted  talents  of  the  first 
order  throughout  Europe.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  but  not  gene- 
rally known,  that  the  first  great  impulse  to  this  study  was  given 
by  that  extraordinary  sovereign,  the  empress  Catharine  the  Great, 
of  Russia,  who,  herself,  took  pains  to  make  out  a  vocabulary  of 
two  hundred  words,  to  be  sent  to  various  parts  of  the  world,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  corresponding  words  in  different  languages. 
With  this  view,  she  made  application  to  President  Washington  for 
specimens  of  the  Indian  languages  of  North  America;  which  were 
accordingly  furnished,  by  his  direction. 

From  that  period  to  the  present,  the  science  of  comparative 
philology  has  been  pursued  with  increasing  ardour  and  success, 
particularly  in  the  investigation  of  the  unwritten  languages  of  the 
savage  or  uncultivated  nations ;  for  it  is  now  found,  to  the  surprise 
of  the  learned,  who  had  formed  their  theories  of  speech  from  the 
Greek,  Latin,  and  a  few  other  cultivated  dialects,  that  the  long 
neglected  languages  of  the  uncivilized  portion  of  the  human  race 
present  very  many  extraordinary  phenomena  (if  we  may  so  call 
them)  in  the  structure  of  human  speech,  which  will  compel  scien- 
tific inquirers  to  re-examine  and  reform  the  theories,  that  have 
been  formed  upon  too  limited  a  view  of  this  extensive  subject. 

At  the  present  enlightened  period  of  the  world,  the  basis  of  all 
scientific  inquiry  is  the  collection  and  arrangement  of  facts,  or  the 
process  of  induction,  as  it  is  often  called,  after  some  philosophers 
of  antiquity;  and,  unless  this  method  is  applied  to  the  languages, 
as  well  as  to  the  physical  structure  of  the  human  race,  the  faculty 
of  speech,  which  is  the  peculiar  and  most  remarkable  characteristic 


CORRESPONDENCE.  137 

of  man,  will  be  the  only  part  of  his  nature  which  will  not  have  been 
investigated  with  the  same  enlarged  and  scientific  views  as  his 
other  powers,  physical  and  intellectual. 

We  must,  therefore,  begin  our  researches  by  collecting  all  the 
facts  relating  to  human  language ;  or,  in  other  words,  by  collecting 
authentic  specimens  of  words,  and  of  the  grammatical  structure  of 
every  dialect  within  our  reach.  The  more  complete  we  can  make 
our  collection,  the  more  correct  and  satisfactory  will  be  the  results 
deduced  from  them.  Our  progress  in  philological  science  will 
then  be  as  successful  as  in  other  departments  of  knowledge.  For 
instance,  in  geology,  when  a  few  specimens  of  antediluvian  bones, 
and  impressions  of  vegetable  and  other  productions,  were  first  dis- 
covered, they  were  laid  up  in  museums  as  simple  curiosities,  and 
without  the  least  anticipation  of  anything  like  important  scientific 
results;  and  yet,  by  the  successive  collections  made  of  those 
objects,  we  now  find  the  new  science  of  geology  has  arisen,  which 
enables  us  to  form  more  just  conceptions  of  the  structure  and  phe- 
nomena of  the  globe,  than  had  ever  before  been  imagined  by  the 
most  subtle  and  profound  philosophers  of  ancient  or  modern  times. 

The  same  thing  will  take  place  in  philological  science,  as  soon 
as  we  obtain  an  extensive  collection  of  facts,  or,  in  other  words,  of 
authentic  specimens  of  language;  and,  in  due  time,  some  genius 
will  appear,  who,  like  Cuvier  in  geology,  will  compare  and  classify 
all  the  specimens  of  language,  and  exhibit  results  that  will  be  no 
less  interesting  and  astonishing  than  those  obtained  in  other 
sciences. 

It  is,  I  am  aware,  a  very  common  question  : — What  will  be  the 
utility  of  collecting  facts  in  relation  to  language?  a  question  which 
may  be  shortly  answered,  by  asking,  in  return,  of  what  utility  is  it 
to  investigate  any  other  faculty  or  peculiarity  of  the  human  race  ? 
Why  have  so  much  time  and  labour  been  bestowed  for  ages  on 
the  study  of  the  body  and  mind  of  man  ?  If  it  is  of  any  import- 
ance to  study  the  human  mind,  the  repository  of  our  ideas  upon  all 

18 


138  CORRESPONDENCE. 

subjects,  is  it  not  indispensable  to  investigate  human  speech,  which 
is  the  medium  of  communicating  those  ideas  ?  If  knowledge  is  of 
any  value,  is  not  language,  which  is  the  instrument  and  the  pre- 
server of  knowledge,  entitled  to  our  profoundest  study  ? 

But  when  we  speak  of  results  to  be  obtained  by  the  pursuit  of 
any  branch  of  science,  no  man  can  venture  to  predict  what  discov- 
eries may  be  made  in  philology,  any  more  than  he  could  dare  to  do 
in  other  departments  of  knowledge.  Who  could  have  foreseen, 
for  example,  the  incalculable  results  of  Newton's  studying  the  fall- 
ing of  an  apple  from  a  tree  in  his  garden  ?  Who  would  ever  have 
imagined  that  the  most  astonishing  and  brilliant  discoveries  of  Sir 
Humphry  Davy  in  chemical  science,  by  the  agency  of  galvanism, 
would  be  deducible  from  observations  of  the  convulsive  motions  of 
a  frog  suspended  from  an  iron -hook  ?  And,  in  the  series  of  extra- 
ordinary results  of  learned  investigations,  let  me  ask,  Who  would 
have  conjectured,  in  the  study  of  languages,  that  any  important 
truths  would  ever  be  elicited  by  means  of  the  hitherto  mysterious 
and  dumb  characters  of  the  hieroglyphic  inscriptions  of  Egypt, 
which  scientific  investigation  is  now  beginning  to  unfold '?  Yet 
the  discovery  of  the  principles  of  interpretation  to  be  applied  to 
those  characters  demolished,  at  a  blow,  the  specious  infidel  super- 
structure, which  some  men  of  science  had  previously  erected  upon 
the  hieroglyphic  zodiac  of  Denderah;  the  true  interpretation  of  the 
language  of  that  monument  having  proved  it  to  be  comparatively 
modern,  instead  of  being  of  an  unfathomable  antiquity,  as  had  been 
supposed  by  those  philosophers,  before  the  characters  were  at  all 
understood. 

By  means  of  languages,  too,  we  ascertain  the  affinities  of 
nations,  however  remote  from  each  other ;  a  remarkable  instance 
of  which  is  that  singular  race,  the  gypsies,  (from  their  supposed 
Egyptian  origin)  who  are  dispersed  over  Europe,  and  whose  lan- 
guage now  shows  them  to  be  a  people  of  Hindostan,  and  not  of 
Egypt.  Tn  the  same  manner,  it  appears  that  the  people  of  Hun- 


CORRESPONDENCE.  139 

gary  and  of  Lapland,  notwithstanding  they  are  geographically  so 
far  apart,  and  so  different  in  their  social  condition  and  physical 
organization,  are  intimately  allied  to  each  other;  and  that  the 
people  of  Otaheite  and  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  though  inhabiting 
islands,  and  at  the  distance  of  twenty-five  hundred  miles  from  each 
other,  are1  of  one  family,  speaking  languages  that  are  substantially 
the  same. 

In  short,  the  affinities  of  the  different  people  of  the  globe,  and 
their  migrations  in  ages  prior  to  authentic  history,  can  be  traced 
only  by  means  of  language ;  and  among  the  problems  which  are 
ultimately  to  be  solved  by  these  investigations,  is  one  of  the  high- 
est interest  to  Americans  —  that  of  the  affinity  between  the  original 
nations  of  this  continent  and  those  of  the  old  world ;  in  other  words, 
the  source  of  the  aboriginal  population  of  America.  And  one  of 
the  fruits  of  your  present  expedition  may  be,  to  furnish  the  mate- 
rials which  may  enable  some  American  to  confer  on  our  country 
the  honour  of  solving  that  great  problem.  But  I  need  not  follow 
out,  in  detail,  the  utility  of  investigations  in  this  branch  of  science. 
The  object  of  the  expedition,  if  I  understand  it  rightly,  is  not 
merely  to  explore  sources  of  profitable  commerce,  but  that  the 
United  States  may  also  make  an  honourable  and  liberal  contribu- 
tion to  the  cause  of  science,  which  is  the  common  cause  of  all 
civilized  nations.  We  have  already  derived  no  little  reputation 
from  what  we  have  accomplished  by  expeditions  of  this  character 
on  the  continent  of  America,  however  inconsiderable  the  results 
may  appear  in  the  general  mass  of  science.  In  the  particular 
subject  of  languages,  too,  our  great  philologist,  Mr.  Duponceau, 
has  obtained  for  America  the  honour  (and,  I  believe,  the  first 
instance  of  the  kind  among  our  countrymen)  of  a  prize  medal, 
awarded  by  that  distinguished  body,  the  Royal  Institute  of  Paris, 
for -the  best  dissertation  on  their  prize  question  respecting  the 
original  languages  of  America,  I  mention  this  fact,  principally  for 
the  purpose  of  showing  how  much  importance  is  attached  to  the 


140  CORRESPONDENCE. 

investigation  of  the  languages,  as  well  as  the  manners  and  customs, 
and  other  characteristics  of  man,  in  every  situation  in  which  he  is 
found  on  the  globe.  If  there  is,  as  all  admit,  any  utility  in  study- 
ing man,  then  it  is  quite  evident  that  we  must  study  his  distin- 
guishing characteristic,  speech;  the  great  instrument  of  intercourse 
and  communication  between  the  numerous  members  of  the  human 
family. 

In  addition  to  these  general  views  of  the  advancement  of  philo- 
logy, I  might  refer  you  to  particular  subjects  in  which  a  knowledge 
of  languages  is  of  incalculable  value.  The  promoting  of  commer- 
cial and  social  intercourse  would  be  greatly  facilitated  by  it ;  but, 
above  all,  we  should  be  enabled  to  disseminate  among  the  unen- 
lightened nations  of  the  world  the  benefits  of  science  and  the  arts, 
the  blessings  of  a  better  organization  of  society  and  government,  a 
higher  system  of  morals,  and  a  purer  religion,  than  they  now 
possess. 

I  am,  sir, 

Your  most  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

JNO.  PICKERING 

J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq. 
New  York. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


NEW  YORK,  July  16,  1836. 

MY  DEAR  SIR — Judging  from  the  announcement  in  the  "Globe," 
which  reached  me  yesterday,  I  should  conclude  that  the  main 
difficulty  was  now  at  an  end;  and  that  your  appointment  to  the 
station  of  corresponding  secretary,  in  the  intended  South  Sea  expe- 
dition, must  be  regarded  as  a  sure  proof  of  the  high  favour  in  which 
you  stand  with  our  Executive.  Nor  has  this  favour  been  mis- 

d 

placed.  If  I  know  you  well,  (and  our  long  acquaintance  leads  me 
to  think  that  I  have  some  claim  to  that  privilege,)  no  one  could 
have  been  selected,  as  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  better  calcu- 
lated to  bring  all  things  into  full  and  efficient  operation,  and  to 
direct  them  in  such  a  way  as  must  lead  to  ultimate  success.  A 
mere  naval  officer  would  never  have  answered  for  such  a  post.  A 
mere  civilian  would  have  been  equally  unfit.  An  individual  was 
required,  who  should  be  conversant  with  both  elements,  and  in 
whom  enlarged  and  liberal  views  should  be  found,  not  the  result  of 
information  obtained  from  others,  but  the  offspring  of  his  own  ma- 
tured and  manly  intellect.  I  am  glad  to  find  that  our  Executive 
had  the  good  sense  and  discrimination  to  select  such  an  individual, 
and  to  scorn  all  the  petty  and  disreputable  influence,  which  sought 
to  confer  on  another  what,  in  honest  fairness,  was  alone  due  to 
yourself.  It  would  have  been  too  bad,  although,  at  the  same  time, 
but  too  much  in  accordance  with  the  ordinary  routine  of  life,  for 
another  to  have  reaped  the  harvest  of  praise,  after  your  untiring 
labours  had  fostered  so  goodly  a  crop.  Let  me  congratulate  you, 
then,  my  friend,  on  this  auspicious  commencement,  and,  in  so  doing, 


142  CORRESPONDENCE. 

express  the  earnest  hope,  that  it  may  be  an  omen  of  final  success, 
and  of  the  honour  that  awaits  yourself,  your  companions,  and  our 
common  country. 

I  cannot  but  regard  it  as  a  singular  coincidence,  that  the  gallant 
frigate,  which  is  to  lead  this  first  American  voyage  of  discovery, 
and  to  enter  on  a  path  from  which  so  much  glory  has  accrued  to 
our  great  maritime  rival,  should  itself  be  a  trophy  wrested  by  our 
arms  from  the  navy  of  that  rival,  and  should  thus  be  destined  to 
carry  to  distant  regions,  not  only  our  national  name,  but  a  memo- 
rial of  our  national  prowess.  Amid  the  sober  realities  of  life, 
speculations  such  as  these  may  be  only  calculated  to  excite  a  smile ; 
but  in  a  case  like  the  present,  into  which  much  of  romantic  daring 
must  necessarily  enter,  they  may  be  indulged  in  with  less  danger 
of  ridicule,  and  with  something  even  of  a  beneficial  effect.  Indeed, 
the  whole  history  of  our  species  is  only  one  tissue  of  singular  coin- 
cidences, characterized  by  as  singular  results. 

Apart  from  the  concern  which  I  naturally  feel  in  whatever 
regards  your  reputation  and  welfare,  I  find  myself  strongly  inter- 
ested, on  another  account,  in  the  intended  expedition.  It  has  long 
been  a  favourite  theory  of  mine,  that  one  of  the  early  races  which 
peopled  our  continent  was  identical  with  that  from  which  have 
descended  the  inhabitants  of  the  numerous  islands  in  the  South 
Pacific.  The  fabrics  accompanying  the  dried  human  bodies,  or 
natural  mummies,  (if  they  maybe  so  called,)  that  have  been  found 
in  the  caverns  of  the  west,  strongly  resemble  the  rude  articles  that 
are  manufactured  in  the  Sandwich  and  other  islands  of  the  Pacific, 
and  point  to  a  sameness  of  origin  in  the  respective  people  who 
prepared  them.  The  most  striking  proofs  of  this,  however,  if  the 
theory  be  a  correct  one,  will  be  found  in  a  comparison  of  the  lan- 
guages of  these  islanders  with  one  another,  as  well  as  with  the 
remains  of  aboriginal  tongues  on  our  own  continent;  and  it  is  these 
very  proofs  which  the  projected  expedition  will  be  able  to  furnish, 
if  they  are  at  all  to  be  obtained.  Let  me  suggest,  therefore,  that 


CORRESPONDENCE.  143 

an  individual  well  versed  in  comparative  philology  accompany  you 
in  your  movements ;  one  who  shall  prepare  vocabularies  of  the 
most  important  words  in  the  languages  of  the  different  islands  at 
which  you  touch,  and  who  shall  be  able  to  classify  and  arrange 
them.  Comparative  philology  is  as  yet  in  its  infancy  with  us  ;  but 
in  Europe  it  has  already  attained  to  a  vigorous  maturity,  and 
accomplished  the  most  interesting  results.  The  great  chain  of  the 
Indo-Germanic  languages  was  first  made  known  by  it;  vast  gaps 
have  been  filled  up  by  it  in  the  early  history  of  nations ;  and  we 
may  look  forward  with  confidence  to  the  most  brilliant  results, 
when  its  energies  are  brought  to  bear  upon  the  languages  of  our 
own  continent  and  the  islands  of  the  Pacific. 

You  and  I  have  often  indulged  in  speculations  relative  to  the 
antiquity  of  America,  and  have  regarded  our  North  American 
Indians  as  comparatively  late  comers  into  the  land.  We  have 
sometimes  thought  that,  under  all  its  integument  of  fable,  there 
might  still  be  lurking  something  of  reality  in  Plato's  narrative  of 
Atlantis.  He  obtained  his  information  from  the  priests  of  Egypt, 
and  recent  antiquarian  researches  in  that  interesting  land  have  led 
us  strongly  to  believe  that  her  educated  race  were  not  unacquainted 
with  our  continent.  How  strongly  do  the  red  and  beardless  people, 
of  noble  bearing  and  handsome  costume,  depicted  at  Luxore  as 
driven  to  their  ships  by  Sesostris,  remind  the  modern  observer,  it  is 
said,  of  the  red  and  beardless  race  of  American  Indians  represented 
on  the  monuments  of  New  Spain,  and  wearing  the  same  palm- 
formed  diadem !  And  then,  again,  how  identical  is  the  head-dress 
of  the  Azteque  priestess  with  the  veil  or  calantica  of  the  heads  of 
Isis  and  the  Sphinx !  What  light  may  not  comparative  philology 
one  day  throw  on  this  most  interesting  subject!  It  has  already 
shown  us  that  the  peculiar  Mexican  dialect  resembles  no  recorded 
language  but  the  ancient  Oscan,  of  Italy;  and  antiquarians  have 
informed  us,  that  the  people  represented  on  the  ruins  of  the  stone 
city  of  Otolum,  near  Palenque,  on  our  own  continent,  resemble  in 


144  CORRESPONDENCE. 

costume  and  receding  foreheads  the  enslaved  Oscans  of  the  old 
Etrurian  monuments.  They  have  also  proved  a  singular  agree- 
ment between  the  cycles  of  the  Etrurians  and  Mexicans,  and 
between  many  of  their  symbols  and  numerical  signs.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  architecture  of  Etruria  resembles  that  of  Egypt,  and  the 
pyramids  of  Egypt  reappear  in  the  teocallis  of  Mexico.  There  is 
only  wanting  some  connecting  link  to  bind  these  remarkable  analo- 
gies into  one  great  whole,  and  that  link  is  to  be  supplied  by  com- 
parative philology.  How  honourable  will  it  be  to  our  national 
name,  if  the  means  by  which  she  shall  be  enabled  to  arrive  at  this 
result  be  afforded  her  by  our  own  countrymen ! 

I  have  taken,  my  dear  sir,  but  one  view  of  the  results  that 
may  be  expected  to  emanate  from  your  intended  enterprise.  It  is 
a  view  that  would  naturally  be  taken  by  one  situated  as  I  am.  The 
other  and  more  immediate  advantages  attendant  upon  your  move- 
ments can  easily  be  perceived  by  all,  and  require  no  comment 
from  my  pen. 

That  your  efforts  may  be  crowned  with  the  richest  success,  is 
the  earnest  prayer  of 

Your  sincere  friend, 

CHARLES  ANTHON. 

J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
Washington  City. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  145 


YALE  COLLEGE,  August  24, 1836. 

SIB — When  you  submitted  to  my  perusal  the  plan  of  the  mate- 
riel for  the  proposed  scientific  corps,  I  had  time  only  to  state  my 
general  approbation  of  the  scheme,  and  to  second  the  suggestion  of 
Professor  Anthon,  in  regard  to  the  appointment  of  a  philologist.  I 
will  now  state  my  views  more  at  large. 

After  providing  a  practical  astronomer,  whose  business  it  shall 
be  to  notice  celestial  phenomena,  particularly  the  part  of  the 
heavens  less  known,  because  less  seen;  and  a  meteorologist,  who 
shall  attend  to  the  multifarious  objects  which  belong  to  his  depart- 
ment, now  fast  rising  into  importance ;  after  supplying  the  branches 
of  hydrography  and  physical  geography,  which  are  closely  con- 
nected, the  one  with  the  safety  of  the  navigator,  the  other  with  the 
perfection  of  a  science  in  which  every  schoolboy  is  concerned; 
after  making  provision  for  the  different  branches  of  mineralogy, 
geology,  botany,  and  zoology,  the  claims  of  which  are  so  justly 
appreciated  by  our  numerous  Lyceums,  and  by  all  learned  and 
intelligent  naturalists,  we  come  to  the  natural  history  of  man — 
in  my  view,  one  of  the  most  important  objects  which  can  be 
presented  to  the  attention  of  the  scientific  corps. 

Permit  me,  then,  to  recommend,  as  highly  important  in  itself, 
and  adapted  to  the  wants  and  wishes  of  the  learned  at  home  and 
abroad,  and  as  an  object  which  will  redound  to  the  glory  of  our 
nation,  the  addition  of  two  members  to  the  proposed  corps,  whom, 
for  the  sake  of  conciseness,  we  shall  call  the  anthropologist  and 
the  philologist. 

G  19 


146  CORRESPONDENCE. 

To  the  anthropologist  should  belong  the  duties  of  examining, 
with  a  philosophic  eye,  the  different  tribes  of  men  which  may  be 
subjected  to  his  notice;  particularly,  he  should  examine  their 
features,  complexion,  and  physical  conformation;  their  state  of 
rudeness  and  civilization ;  their  habits,  manners,  and  customs ; 
their  progress  in  the  arts ;  their  political  institutions,  which,  though 
rude,  often  display  great  wisdom;  their  religious  opinions  and 
usages — the  impress,  as  it  were,  of  a  moral  governor  on  their 
minds  ;  he  should  form  a  fair  estimate  of  their  virtues  and  vices  ; 
and,  in  fine,  he  should  examine  their  language,  philosophy,  tradi- 
tions, and  literature,  which,  as  they  draw  nearer  to  nature,  will  be 
studied  with  a  deeper  interest  by  the  true  philospher. 

To  the  philologist  should  belong,  particularly,  the  task  of  exam- 
ining the  various  languages,  with  respect  to  their  phonology,  or 
elementary  sounds  ;  the  forms  of  their  roots,  or  radical  words  ;  the 
inflexions  for  expressing  the  different  relations  of  words,  and  the 
structure  or  syntax  of  the  language  ;  of  collecting  extensive  vocab- 
ularies from  natives  and  interpreters ;  and  of  furnishing  materials 
for  the  comparative  philologist,  by  instituting  similar  and  analogous 
inquiries,  in  respect  to  each  of  the  several  dialects. 

It  will  be  hardly  possible  for  me  to  enumerate  all  the  advan- 
tages, or  to  point  out  the  various  important  bearings,  of  this  great 
undertaking  on  the  highest  interests  of  man. 

I.  It  will  serve  to  fill  up  a  department  of  knowledge,  which  will 
be  seen  to  be  important  as  soon  as  named — the  natural  history  of 
man.  m..to 

II.  It  will  serve  to  show  the  connexion  and  relation  of  the 
different  tribes  of  men;  their  common  origin;  and  their  progress, 
from  their  original  seat,  to  their  present  location :  an  important 
chapter  in  the  history  of  our  race. 

III.  Every  new  dialect  is  a  new  exemplification  of  the  powers 
and  capabilities  of  human  speech.     The  time  is  not  far  distant 
when  the  formation  of  new  languages,  and  the  modifications  of  old 


CORRESPONDENCE.  147 

ones,  shall  not  be  left,  as  it  were,  to  the  accidental  operations  of 
human  intellect;  but  shall  be  subjected  to  the  government  of 
combined  reason  and  concentrated  wisdom. 

IV.  Every  new  language  is  a  new  development  of  the  human 
mind.     The  philosophy  of  this  moving  principle  in  man  is  best 
studied  where  it  is  in  fullest  operation :  to  wit,  in  the  constant  flow 
of  human  language. 

V.  Our  statesmen  will  recollect,  that,  in   the   infancy  of  our 
republic,  the  enlightened  Catharine  of  Russia,  a  nation  which  had 
emerged  hardly  a  century  from  barbarism,  sent  to  the  immortal 
Washington  a  request  for  the  vocabularies  of  the  different  Indian 
tribes.     The  results  of  the  investigation,  which  she  first  instituted, 
have  given  rise  to  a  new  science,  that  is  now  pervading  all  Europe, 
and  modifying  the  grammars  and  lexicons  of  every  language. 

How  glorious  to  second  these  objects ;  to  carry  our  inquiries  to 
the  very  borders  of  the  Russian  dominion,  and  not  to  rest  till  all 
the  languages  of  the  seas  shall  contribute  their  share  to  enlarge 
human  science,  and  accelerate  the  progress  of  man  to  that  perfec- 
tion in  knowledge  to  which  he  is  destined,  and  of  which  language 
must  ever  be  the  only  vehicle  ! 

I  waive,  however,  more  minute  specification ;  hoping  that,  on  a 
subject  whose  relations  may  be  less  obvious  to  men  engaged  in 
public  life,  our  distinguished  philologists,  such  as  Webster  and 
Duponceau,  Pickering  and  Gallatin,  may  be  consulted,  in  order  to 
give  impulse  and  direction  to  that  part  of  the  enterprise,  the  execu- 
tion of  which  must  necessarily  devolve  upon  the  younger  and 
more  hardy  and  inexperienced. 

Permit  me,  sir,  in  reference  to  the  enterprise  at  large,  to  state, 
in  my  view,  the  absolute  necessity  of  appointing  an  energetic  com- 
mittee at  home,  who  shall  publish  the  official  communications  of 
the  corps,  as  fast  as  received :  this  only  can  satisfy  the  impatience 
of  the  learned  and  scientific,  on  the  one  hand,  and  secure  the 
activity  of  the  corps  itself,  on  the  other. 


148  CORRESPONDENCE. 

With  many  wishes  for  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  and  the 
safety  of  all  who  may  embark  in  it, 
I  am,  respectfully, 

Your  humble  servant, 

JOSIAH  W. 
J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
New  York. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  149 


LYCEUM  or  NATURAL  HISTORY,  i 
New  York,  1836.          * 

DEAR  SIR — So  the  expedition  has  been  sanctioned  by  congress, 
and  the  president  has  determined  to  have  it  fitted  out  on  an  effi- 
cient scale,  and  with  the  most  liberal  provision  for  all  the  depart- 
ments of  science  ?  This  is,  indeed,  good  news,  and  we  are  all 
delighted  with  it.  The  organization  of  the  scientific  corps  is  a 
matter  of  great  importance,  in  reference  to  which,  I  cannot  refrain 
from  throwing  out  a  few  hints  for  your  consideration ;  although  I 
am  not  aware  that  I  can  communicate  any  particular  information 
which  you  have  not  already  obtained,  or  may  not  readily  obtain, 
from  other  and  higher  sources.  I  shall,  of  course,  confine  my 
remarks  to  pure  Natural  History ;  and,  in  the  few  suggestions  I 
have  to  offer,  I  shall  even  restrict  myself  almost  entirely  to  the 
subject  of  the  botanical  department ;  not  only  because,  being  most 
in  accordance  with  my  immediate  pursuits,  I  am  naturally  more 
especially  interested  in  that  department ;  but,  also,  because  1  fear 
that  its  high  importance  and  great  promise  of  practical  utility  may 
be,  in  some  degree,  overlooked.  The  natural  history  of  the  exten- 
sive regions  which  the  projected  expedition  is  designed  to  explore, 
is,  in  all  its  branches,  almost  wholly  unknown  ;  and  the  small  and 
casual  collections  hitherto  made  in  different  voyages,  have  rather 
served  to  excite  the  curiosity  of  the  scientific  world,  than  to  pro- 
duce any  very  important  practical  results.  Indeed,  more  new  and 
interesting  objects,  both  in  the  animal  and  vegetable  kingdoms, 
may  be  confidently  expected  from  these  regions,  when  thoroughly 


150  CORRESPONDENCE. 

explored,  than  from  any  other  part  of  the  whole  known  world, 
excepting,  perhaps,  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon  in  Central  Africa. 

A  principal  reason  for  impressing  upon  the  directors  and  con- 
ductors of  the  expedition,  the  importance  of  a  well-filled  botanical 
department,  consists  in  the  fact  of  the  almost  certain  discovery  of 
new  and  valuable  kinds  of  woods,  new  materials  for  cordage,  (for 
which  we  are  already  so  greatly  indebted  to  the  islands  of  the 
South  Sea,)  new  dye-stuffs,  drugs,  and  other  useful  vegetable 
productions,  which  may  hereafter  open  a  wide  field  for  commercial 
enterprise,  and  contribute,  in  no  small  degree,  to  the  prosperity  of 
the  country.  You  will  at  once  observe,  sir,  that  these  anticipa- 
tions contemplate  for  the  botanist  of  the  expedition,  higher  and 
more  extensive  duties  than  the  mere  collection  of  ornamental 
plants,  and  the  description  of  new  species.  These  objects  should, 
indeed,  receive  all  proper  attention,  whilst  the  more  important 
results,  at  which  I  have  hinted,  should  be  steadily  kept  in  view. 
It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  the  person  selected  to  take  charge  of 
this  department,  should  not  only  be  a  skilful  botanist,  but  should 
also  be  well  versed  in  vegetable  chemistry :  and  it  is  especially 
desirable,  that  he  be  furnished  with  the  requisite  means  of  testing, 
on  the  spot,  the  nature  and  probable  value  of  the  various  vegetable 
products,  that  may  be  from  time  to  time  discovered. 

I  think  it  highly  important  that  the  botanist  be  instructed  to 
collect  and  preserve  several  sets  of  all  the  objects  in  his  province  ; 
in  order  that  the  government  may  in  due  time  present  a  suite  of 
specimens  to  several  of  the  learned  societies,  and  even,  perhaps, 
to  the  most  eminent  scientific  individuals,  both  in  this  country  and 
in  Europe.  In  this  way,  the  risk  of  losing,  at  any  future  period, 
the  whole  collection  by  fire  or  other  accident,  will  be  completely 
obviated;  and  the  means  of  comparison  and  confirmation  being 
thus  liberally  afforded  to  the  whole  learned  world,  the  results  may 
be  expected  to  contribute,  in  the  very  highest  degree,  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  science.  The  example  of  the  East  India  Company, 


CORRESPONDENCE.  151 

in  the  universal  distribution  of  the  magnificent  collections  of  Dr 
Wallich,  is,  in  this  respect,  worthy  of  all  imitation. 

By  a  comparatively  slight  increase  of  labour  on  the  part  of  the 
scientific  corps,  a  sufficient  collection  may  be  made  for  the  pur- 
poses I  have  indicated ;  since  the  botanist,  when  fully  prepared 
with  the  requisite  means,  can  prepare  thirty  or  forty  specimens 
almost  as  readily  as  a  smaller  number.  In  some  branches  of 
zoology,  I  am  well  aware  that  collections  cannot  be  made  upon 
so  extensive  a  scale,  except  by  a  very  disproportionate  increase  of 
expense  and  labour.  The  number  of  sets  to  be  collected  will,  of 
course,  wholly  depend  upon  the  circumstances  under  which  the 
scientific  corps  are  to  be  placed ;  but  the  botanist  should  be  in- 
structed to  secure,  if  possible,  at  least  twenty-five  or  thirty  speci- 
mens of  all  the  plants,  fruits,  &c.,  which  fall  under  his  notice. 

I  omit  all  particular  remark  concerning  the  zoological  and  min- 
eralogical  departments  in  the  proposed  expedition :  not,  as  you 
will  readily  believe,  that  I  by  any  means  underrate  their  import- 
ance ;  but  because  I  conceive  that  you  are  already  in  correspond- 
ence with  those  who  are  making  these  sciences  a  separate  pursuit. 
To  do  justice  to  the  single  department  of  zoology,  will  require  the 
joint  labour  of  several  persons  :  all  subordinate,  of  course,  to  a 
common  head,  who  will  assume  the  direction  of  the  whole.  A 
botanist,  with  two  competent  assistants,  will,  I  think,  suffice  for 
that  department.  Two  assistants  are,  in  my  opinion,  indispensable  * 
since  the  aid  of  one  will  be  constantly  needed  by  the  principal 
botanist ;  while  the  other  would  often  be  required  to  accompany 
the  smaller  vessels,  when  engaged  in  a  distant  survey. 

Allow  me,  in  conclusion,  to  express  a  hope,  since  our  govern- 
ment is  about  to  lend  its  aid  to  the  promotion  of  maritime  disco- 
very, in  which  the  chief  nations  of  Europe  are  already  so  highly 
distinguished,— -a  hope  entertained,  I  trust,  by  all  who  feel  a  lively 
interest  in  our  national  honour, — that  the  whole  expedition  will  be 
placed  upon  a  scale  of  enlightened  liberality,  with  a  view  to  the 


152  CORRESPONDENCE. 

accomplishment  of  great  results ;  and  that  those  who  conduct  its 
various  operations  should  be  fully  aware  that  its  final  and  com- 
plete success  wholly  depends,  under  Providence,  upon  their  dili- 
gent, harmonious,  and  wisely-directed  efforts. 
With  sincere  respect, 

I  remain,  truly,  yours, 

A.  GRAY. 
J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  153 


PHILADELPHIA,  August  15,  1836. 

DEAR  SIR — On  first  heating  that  the  government  were  about 
sending  an  exploring  expedition  to  the  South  Seas,  I  paid  little 
regard  to  the  circumstance,  presuming  that  the  interests  of  naviga- 
tion would  alone  be  consulted,  or  that,  if  other  matters  of  science 
were  connected,  they  would  be  regarded  as  of  very  secondary 
importance; — judge,  then,  of  my  surprise,  on  learning  that  it 
Would  be  rendered  not  inferior  to  any  previous,  in  contributing  to 
all  branches  of  knowledge  ;  and  more,  that  it  was  to  be  no  imita- 
tion, either  in  its  route  or  organization. 

As  zoology  has  always  formed  a  very  prominent  feature  in  such 
undertakings,  you  will  excuse  me  for  troubling  you  with  a  few 
remarks.  The  first  object  that  should  claim  the  attention  of  the 
zoologist  is,  of  course,  man.  It  is  of  the  very  first  importance  to 
record,  as  soon  as  possible,  all  that  can  be  ascertained  of  the  pre- 
sent inhabitants  of  the  small  islands  of  the  Pacific.  From  the 
vast  influx  of  foreign  vessels  of  late  years,  the  original  character 
of  the  population  will,  in  all  probability,  soon  be  lost,  and  it4 
history  must  be  looked  for  hereafter,  in  these  very  exploring  expe- 
ditions. Now  the  tact  of  the  experienced  naturalist  might  detect 
points  in  the  physical  aspect  of  the  natives,  that  would  have  es- 
caped the  'notice  of  the  Philologist,  the  Ethnographer,  or  even  of 
the  Anatomist. 

A  knowledge  of  the  species  of  animals  and  plants  is  one  great 
object  that  naturalists  are  aiming  at.  What  results  will  arise  from 
the  attainment,  it  is  impossible  to  foresee ;  as,  indeed,  from  any 

20 


154  CORRESPONDENCE. 

real  addition  to  knowledge.  Its  present  state  has  led  to  the  dis 
covery,  that  the  globe  was  once  occupied  by  other  inhabitants  than 
the  present.  Whence  the  species  of  our  time  have  come,  it  is  not 
for  us  to  say.  We  find  them  allotted  in  different  sets  to  different 
portions  of  the  earth,  each  individual  species  spreading  as  far  as 
its  own  organic  structure  permits. 

But  maritime  intercourse  is  changing  the  face  of  things.  The 
different  races  of  mankind  are  brought  into  unexpected  contact 
and  are  supplanting  each  other  on  every  hand.  Plants  in  vast 
variety,  as  well  as  animals,  are  transferred  from  their  native  clime 
to  seize  upon  a  foreign  soil. 

The  productions  of  small  islands,  though  not  numerous,  are  ex 
tremely  interesting ;  more  especially,  when  widely  separated  from 
a  continent.  Such  often  contain  peculiar  animals  and  plants , 
animals,  too,  of  very  considerable  size.  The  huge,  helpless  tor- 
toise of  the  Galapagos,,  could  not  have  kept  up  its  race  on  a  con- 
tinent, or  on  an  island  inhabited  by  man,  were  it  at  all  noxious,  or 
even  useless.  It  is  now  nearly  certain,  that  during  the  short  period 
Europeans  have  been  acquainted  with  the  great  ocean,  a  clumsy 
animal  of  the  ostrich  kind  has  entirely  disappeared.  Whether  it 
is,  that  in  a  wide  extended  field  the  number  of  species  has  been 
reduced  by  the  same  process  of  mutual  extermination,  this  is  most 
certain,  that  the  variety  is  by  no  means  in  proportion  to  the  surface. 

With  regard  to  the  organization  of  the  zoological  department,  I 
would  remark,  that  as  the  range  is  sa  ample,  several  observers  will 
be  required ;  and  much  might  be  gained  by  a  distribution  of  the 
branches.  No  one  individual  can  do  justice  to  all  parts  of  zoology 
— life  is  too  short,  even  in  the  absence  of  other  considerations. 
The  department  would  be  lame,  indeed,  without  some  one  versed 
in  the  internal  structure  of  animated  beings.  One  or  more  good 
natural-history  draughtsmen  are  indispensable,  and  the  requisite 
qualifications  are  very  rarely  to  be  met  with.  The  mechanical 
part  of  collecting  and  preserving  should  be  well  provided  for :  all 


CORRESPONDENCE.  155 

that  can  be  done  at  home  should  be  reserved  for  the  return  of  the 
expedition,  for  the  zoologists  will  find  ample  occupation  in  living 
nature. 

But  perhaps  I  am  too  sanguine.  I  am  well  aware  that  the 
subject  is  not  in  high  favour  with  the  community  generally.  If, 
however,  "the  proper  study  of  mankind  is  man,"  then  natural 
history  is  the  looking-glass.  Man  is  born  of  infinite  capacity,  but 
falls  into  the  snare  of  pride,  and  pays  the  penalty  with  misery. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

CHARLES  PICKERING. 
J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
New  York. 


156  CORRESPONDENCE. 


PHILADELPHIA,  September  5,  1836 

DEAR  SIR — I  have  read  with  great  pleasure  the  letters  address- 
ed to  you  by  a  number  of  our  most  distinguished  scientific  and 
literary  characters,  on  the  subject  of  the  intended  expedition  to  the 
South  Seas,  which  you  have  had  the  goodness  to  communicate  to 
me,  and  which  you  intend  for  publication.  It  is  very  patriotic  in 
you,  while  our  government  is  desirous  of  obtaining  all  the  informa- 
tion, and  collecting  all  the  lights  that  they  can  upon  this  interest- 
ing subject,  thus  to  aid  in  promoting  their  views,  and,  what  is  not 
less  important,  to  make  the  people  at  large  fully  sensible  of  the 
high  importance  of  this  measure  to  the  honour,  as  well  as  to  the 
advantage,  of  the  United  States.  Those  letters  are  well  calculated 
to  produce  that  effect,  and  therefore  I  cannot  but  highly  approve 
of  their  publication. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  has  applied  to  the  American  Philo- 
sophical Society  for  information  and  advice  on  various  points  con- 
nected with  the  intended  expedition.  The  same  thing  has  been 
done  by  former  administrations  on  similar  occasions,  and  it  is  the 
constant  practice  of  the  governments  of  Europe  to  avail  themselves 
of  the  concentrated  knowledge  of  their  learned  societies.  I  shall 
not  fail  to  lay  your  correspondence  before  the  committee,  which 
our  society  will  appoint  to  take  this  matter  into  consideration,  aiid 
I  have  no  doubt  that  they  will  derive  much  benefit  from  it,  and 
will  be  the  better  able  to  perform  the  honourable  duty  imposed 
upon  them. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  157 

Under  these  circumstances,  it  would  be  improper  in  me,  as  an 
officer  of  that  society,  to  enter  here  into  the  discussion  of  matters 
of  detail,  on  this  important  subject.  It  would  be  disrespectful  to 
my  colleagues,  whose  views  may  differ  from  mine,  and  by  which 
mine  may  be  corrected,  and  to  our  government,  to  whom  our  opin- 
ions are  due  in  the  first  instance.  But  I  am  free  to  say,  that  I 
fully  concur  with  your  learned  correspondents,  in  considering  the 
intended  expedition  as  a  source  of  high  honour,  as  well  as  of  ad- 
vantage to  the  United  States  and  to  the  world  at  large.  Its  most 
immediate  objects  are  the  safety  of  our  navigation,  the  increase  of 
the  skill  of  our  hardy  seamen,  and  the  facility  of  our  commerce, 
by  which  its  prosperity  will  be  promoted.  Such,  if  favoured  by 
Providence,  will,  I  hope,  be  its  results.  Our  national  honour  is 
also  to  be  considered.  England,  France,  and  Russia,  must  no 
longer  claim  the  pre-eminence  over  us  as  maritime  explorers  of 
the  surface  of  our  globe.  We  must  have  our  Ansons,  our  Cooks, 
our  La  Perouses,  our  Rosses,  our  Parrys,  and  our  Kruzensterns. 
Our  charts  and  our  maps  must  be  the  guides  of  navigators  through 
the  world.  The  expense  that  will  be  incurred  in  this  expedition, 
however  great  it  may  appear  to  those  who  do  not  take  a  correct 
and  an  enlarged  view  of  its  objects,  will  be  but  trifling,  when  com- 
pared with  the  immense  benefits  that  will  flow  from  it. 
I  am,  respectfully,  dear  sir, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

PETER  S.  DUPONCEAU. 
J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq., 
New  York. 

>.*'•••£*.  '    .1     U:*«*  '    :-•;.-'>•• 

••* *:••:    v%i/     %$&&•*• 

ii|B 

fc^vi.  ,.;    '-  "v:\;>-^ 

;•'    .^-^:-\#^/^r   ' 

*  A*     - 


«# 


DOCUMENTS. 


LETTER  FROM  J.  N.  REYNOLDS 

,^;--        iK^-iJt         .->1^H! 

TO  THE    SPEAKER    OF   THE 

HOUSE   OF  REPRESENTATIVES, 

UPON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  AN  EXPEDITION : 

ACCOMPANIED  WITH  PETITIONS  PROM  INHABITANTS  OF  SEVERAL  STATES,  PRAYINO 
THE  AID  OF  GOVERNMENT  IN  CARRYING  THE  SAME  INTO  EFFECT. 


JANUARY  22,  1838.       *A^ 
Read  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs. 


SIR  :  I  have  the  honour  of  transmitting  to  you  several  memorials, 
signed  by  citizens  of  the  United  States,  recommending  to  the 
favourable  consideration  of  Congress  the  importance  of  affording 
some  efficient  aid  in  fitting  out  a  small  expedition  to  explore  the 
immense  and  unknown  regions  in  the  southern  hemisphere. 
They  believe  that  an  expedition  could  scarcely  fail  in  making 
discoveries  of  some  interest,  by  finding  new  islands,  or  increasing 
our  knowledge  of  those  already  laid  on  the  maps ;  that  commerce 
might  be  benefited  by  surveying  the  coast  frequented  by  our 
hardy  fishermen,  and  upon  which  they  frequently  suffer  ship- 
wreck, with  many  privations,  and  loss  of  property. 

It  is  believed  new  channels  might  be  opened  for  commercial 
pursuits  in  animal-fur — a  trade  out  of  which  an  immense  revenue 
accrues  to  the  government,  and  which  greatly  augments  our 

21 


162  LETTER. 

national  strength,  by  increasing  the  number  of  our  most  efficient 
seamen. 

Among  these  memorials,  you  will  find  one  from  Albany,  dated 
October  19th,  1827,  and  signed  by  his  excellency  Nathaniel 
Pitcher,  lieutenant-governor  of  the  state  of  New  York,  the  hon- 
ourable Erastus  Root,  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives, 
and  by  nearly  all  the  members  of  the  legislature. 

I  have  also  the  honour  of  transmitting  to  you  three  other  memo  • 
rials: — the  first  is  dated  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  May  31st, 
1827,  and  signed  by  the  mayor  of  the  city,  President  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  by  a  very  long  list  of  respectable 
citizens.  The  second  is  dated  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  Decem- 
ber 24th,  1827,  and  contains  the  signatures,  of  his  excellency 
James  Iredell,  governor  of  the  state;  the  honourable  B.  Yancy, 
speaker  of  the  senate;  the  honourable  James  Little,  speaker  of 
the  house  of  commons ;  and  by  a  large  proportion  of  the  members 
of  each  branch  of  the  legislature.  The  third  memorial  is  dated 
Richmond,  Virginia,  January  1st,  1828,  and  is  sustained  by  a 
number  of  respectable  citizens :  by  the  honourable  Linn  Banks, 
speaker  of  the  house  of  delegates,  and  by  a  large  and  very 
respectable  number  of  the  members  of  the  legislature^ 

With  the  above  papers,  I  send  you  for  reference,  in  like  man- 
ner, the  following  preamble  and  resolution,  adopted  by  the  house 
of  delegates  of  the  sj;ate  of  Maryland,  which  I  have  had  in  my 
possession,  but  which  has  never  been  officially  introduced  into 
this  house ; — 

"  Whereas  foreign  nations  have  long  turned  their  attention 
towards  the  acquirement  of  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
geography  of  the  earth,  by  means  of  voyages  of  discovery,  and 
by  these  exertions  have  not  only  acquired  reputation,  but  extended 
the  weight  of  their  influence,  opened  new  channels  for  commer- 
cial enterprise,  £nd  benefited  the  human  race*  by  enlarging  and 


LETTER.  163 

improving  the  boundaries  of  knowledge :  And  whereas  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  has  attained  a  high  standing  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth,  the  practical  result  of  the  most  stupen- 
dous, as  well  as  successful,  experiment  ever  made  in  politics ;  a 
population  fast  increasing ;  commercial  relations  and  interest  co- 
extensive with  the  civilized  world ;  nautical  skill,  perseverance, 
and  enterprise,  if  not  unequalled,  at  least  unsurpassed :  And 
whereas  the  sending  out  of  one  or  two  vessels  on  a  voyage  of 
discovery  would  not  be  attended  with  any  very  heavy  demands 
on  the  public  treasury,  and  would  seem  to  be  in  strict  accordance 
with  the  character  and  liberal  policy  which  ought  to  be  pursued 
by  a  government  whose  political  existence  is,  in  a  great  measure, 
dependant  on  the  general  intelligence  of  her  people :  And  whereas 
a  great  number  of  the  most  enlightened  citizens,  of  different  sec- 
tions of  our  country,  have  memorialized  the  senate  and  house  of 
representatives  of  the  United  States,  in  congress  assembled,  and 
have  set  forth  in  their  memorials  that,  under  the  patronage  of  the 
United  States,  an  expedition  should  be  fitted  out  without  delay, 
and  proceed  to  acquire  a  more  correct  knowledge  of  our  own  con- 
tinent ;  or,  if  possible,  to  enter  the  more  interesting  and  extensive 
field  for  enterprise  in  the  southern  hemisphere  ;  and,  provided  for 
the  purpose  with  hardy  seamen  and  scientific  persons,  to  bring 
home  to  us  the  result  of  their  labours,  for  the  honour  of  our  coun- 
try and  the  benefit  of  mankind :  And  whereas  voyages  of  this 
kind,  even  when  they  fail  of  making  important  discoveries, 
bespeak  a  liberal  policy,  and  give  character  to  the  people  who 
undertake  them :  Therefore, 

"Resolved  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Maryland, 
That  we  do  highly  approve  of  the  views  of  the  said  memorialists, 
believing  that  a  polar  expedition,  if  properly  conducted,  could 
scarcely  fail  in  adding  something  to  the  general  stock  of  national 
wealth  and  knowledge,  and  to  the  honour  and  glory  of  the  United 
States." 


164  LETTER. 

It  is,  perhaps,  unnecessary  to  remark,  that  this  expression  of 
public  sentiment,  though  extensive,  and  deserving  the  most 
respectful  consideration,  is  small,  when  compared  with  other  and 
similar  memorials,  presented  during  the  last  session,  and  referred 
to  the  secretary  of  the  navy;  to  all  of  which  the  committee,  of 
course,  can  have  easy  access. 

While,  sir,  I  accept,  with  much  pleasure,  your  proffered  kind- 
ness, in  giving  to  these  memorials  their  proper  direction  in  the 
house  of  representatives,  I  beg  you  to  accept  the  assurance  of 
the  high  consideration  with  which  I  am,  sir. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  N.  REYNOLDS. 
Hon.  ANDREW  STEVENSON, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 


MEMORIAL 


OP  THK 


CITIZENS   OF  NANTUCKET, 


TO  THE  HONOURABLE  THE  SENATE  AND  HOUSE  OF  REPRE- 
SENTATIVES IN  CONGRESS  ASSEMBLED. 

The  memorial  of  the  subscribers,  citizens  of  the  town  of  Nantuc&ef, 
respectfully  represents  :— 

THAT  the  intercourse  maintained  between  different  parts  of  tffe 
nation,  and  the  islands  and  countries  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  has 
become  a  matter  of  public  interest,  and  deserving  the  protecting 
care  of  the  national  legislature.  The  fur  business,  and  the  trade 
carried  on  between  the  Pacific  islands  and  coasts  of  China,  as  is 
known  to  your  honourable  body,  have  afforded  rich  returns,  and 
increased  the  wealth  of  our  common  country.  Besides  this 
employment  of  national  industry  and  enterprise,  they  would 
represent  that  there  are  engaged  in  the  whale  fishery,  from 
various  parts  of  the  country,  upwards  of  forty  thousand*  tons  of 
shipping,  requiring  a  capital  of  three  millions  of  dollars,  and  the 
services  of  more  than  three  thousand  seamen.  Whether  viewed 
as  a  nursery  of  bold  and  hardy  seamen,  or  as  an  employment  of 
capital  in  one  of  the  most  productive  modes,  or  as  furnishing  an 
article  of  indispensable  necessity  to  human  comfort,  it  seems  to 
your  petitioners  to  be  an  object  especially  deserving  the  public 
care.  The  increased  extent  of  the  voyages  now  pursued  by  the 

*  Greatly  under  the  true  estimate,  even  at  that  period. 


1 66  MEMORIAL. 

trading  and  whaling  ships  into  seas  but  little  explored,  and  in 
parts  of  the  world  before  unknown,  has  increased  the  cares,  the 
dangers,  and  the  losses  of  our  merchants  and  mariners.  Within 
a  few  years,  their  cruises  have  extended  from  the  coasts  of  Peru 
and  Chili  to  the  Northwest  coast,  New  Zealand,  and  the  isles  of 
Japan.  This  increase  of  risk  has  been  attended  by  an  increase 
of  loss.  Several  vessels  have  been  wrecked  on  islands  and  reefs 
not  laid  down  on  any  chart :  and  the  matter  acquires  a  painful 
interest  from  the  fact,  that  many  ships  have  gone  into  those  seas, 
and  no  soul  has  survived  to  tell  their  fate.  Your  petitioners 
consider  it  a  matter  of  earnest  importance  that  those  seas  should 
be  explored;  that  they  should  be  surveyed  in  an  accurate  and 
authentic  manner,  and  the  position  of  new  islands,  and  reefs,  and 
shoals,  definitely  ascertained.  The  advancement  of  science,  and 
not  their  private  interest  only,  but  the  general  interests  of  the 
nation,  seem,  to  them,  imperiously  to  demand  it.  They, 
therefore,  pray  that  an  expedition  may  be  fitted  out,  under  the 
sanction  of  the  government,  to  explore  and  survey  the  islands  and 
coasts  of  the  Pacific  seas,  and,  as  in  duty  bound,  will  ever  pray. 
November,  1828. 


I 

MEMORIAL 


EAST   INDIA   MARINE    SOCIETY, 

OF    SALEM,    MASSACHUSETTS, 

PRAYING  THAT  AN  EXPEDITION  BE  FITTED  OUT  BY  THE  GOVERNMENT  TO  MAKE  A  VOYAGK 
OP  DISCOVERY  AND  SURVEY  TO  THE  SOUTH  SEAS. 

DECEMBER  16,  1834. 
Referred  to  the  Committee  on  Commerce,  and  ordered  to  be  printed. 


TO  THE  HONOURABLE  THE  SENATE  AND  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTA- 
TIVES OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  IN  CONGRESS  ASSEMBLED. 

The  memorial  of  the  subscribers,  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
respectfully  represents : — 

THAT  the  vivifying  influence  of  unshackled  and  unobstructed 
commerce  is,  to  our  highly-favoured  nation,  what  the  healthful 
pulsation  of  the  heart  is  to  the  h\iman  frame :  it  not  only  gives 
life  and  enjoyment  to  the  immediate  vicinity  of  its  vibrations,  but 
communicates  the  same,  by  a  thousand  mysterious  channels,  to 
the  remotest  extremity  of  the  body  politic  :  it  is  the  fountain  from 
which  unfailing  streams  of  revenue,  our  financial  reservoir,  is 
supplied  with  the  means  of  national  existence.  To  remove  every 
obstacle  which  may  impede  or  retard  the  healthful  operation  of 
this  vital  organ,  is  evidently  the  interest,  and  consequently  the 
duty  of  the  supreme  legislature  of  the  country. 

Under  such  impressions,  it  is  with  no  small  degree  of  interest 
your  memorialists  perused  an  honourable  expression  of  the  legis- 


168  MEMORIAL. 

lature  of  Rhode  Island,  during  its  recent  session,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  copy : — 

"  State  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations,  in  General 
Assembly,  October  Session,  A.  D.  1834. 

"Resolved,  That,  in  the  opinion  of  this  general  assembly,  the 
subject  of  the  memorial  of  J.  N.  Reynolds  and  others,  dated 
November,  1834,  praying  that  provision  may  be  made  by  law  for 
a  voyage  of  discovery  and  survey  to  the  South  seas,  is  highly 
important  to  our  shipping  and  commercial  interests,  and  is  hereby 
recommended  by  the  said  assembly  to  the  favourable  considera- 
tion of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States." 

In  favour  of  this  memorial,  that  an  expedition  be  fitted  out 
under  the  sanction  of  government,  the  object  of  which  shall  be 
to  examine  the  numerous  places  of  traffic  already  opened  by  the 
enterprise  of  our  citizens,  and  to  open  new  channels  for  the  exten- 
sion of  trade,  by  the  examination  of  such  groups  of  islands,  in  the 
great  North  and  South  Pacific  ocean,  as  are  imperfectly  or  en- 
tirely unknown ;  to  ascertain  their  true  positions  on  the  charts, 
examine  their  harbours  and  capacities,  open  friendly  intercourse 
with  the  natives,  which  may  be  the  means  of  preventing  the  effu- 
sion of  blood ;  in  a  word,  there  are  so  many  ways  in  which  such 
an  expedition  might  be  useful,  if  well  conducted,  to  our  extended 
and  unprotected  interest  in  those  distant  seas,  that  a  minute  speci- 
fication of  them  seems  unnecessary,  as  they  must  be  obvious  to 
every  enlightened  mind. 

On  this  subject,  many  of  your  memorialists  speak  with  a  prac- 
tical knowledge ;  for  among  them  are  those  who  were  the  first  to 
display  our  national  colours  in  our  commerce  to  the  eastern  world ; 
among  them  are  those  who  have  been  engaged  in  trade  on  coasts 
and  among  islands  but  little  known ;  and  they  have  felt,  in  losses 
and  in  painful  solicitude,  the  want  of  the  protection  of  their  gov 


MEMORIAL.  ](59 

eminent,  as  well  to  point  out  the  position  of  a  dangerous  reef,  as 
to  defend  them  against  the  natives,  who  had  seen  nothing  of  our 
power  to  restrain  them  from  unlawful  attacks  upon  their  vessels 
or  their  lives  ;  among  them  are  those  who  have  visited  the  islands 
in  the  Pacific,  as  well  as  those  in  the  east,  and  have  seen  and 
felt  the  dangers  our  vessels  are  exposed  to  for  the  want  of  such 
protection  as  an  expedition,  fitted  out  for  the  express  purpose, 
alone  can  give. 

Your  memorialists  refrain  from  going  into  any  computation  of 
the  immense  amount  of  tonnage  and  capital  engaged,  from  the 
United  States,  in  the  whale-fishery,  all  of  which  is  more  or  less 
interested  in  such  an  expedition.  Without  attempting  to  desig- 
nate the  groups  or  islands  most  important  to  be  examined,  your 
memorialists  would  simply  call  the  attention  of  your  honourable 
body  to  one  point,  which  may  serve  as  an  index  to  the  rest : — 
the  Feejee  or  Beetee  islands.  What  is  known  of  them  ?  They 
were  named,  but  not  visited,  by  Captain  Cook,  and  consist  of 
sixty  or  more  in  number.  Where  shall  we  find  charts  of  this 
group,  pointing  out  its  harbours  and  dangers?  There  are  none 
to  be  found,  for  none  exist.  And  yet,  have  we  no  trade  there  ? 
We  speak  not  for  others,  but  for  ourselves. 

From  this  port,  the  following  vessels  have  been,  or  now  are, 
employed  in  procuring  biche-le-mer  and  shells  at  the  Feejee 
islands,  in  exchange  for  which  eastern  cargoes  are  brought  into 
our  country,  and  thus  contributing  no  inconsiderable  amount  to 
our  national  revenue  :— 

Ship  Clay,  brig  Quill,  have  returned ;  brig  Faun,  lost  at  the 
islands  ;  ship  Glide,  Niagara,  also  lost ;  and  bark  Peru  greatly 
damaged,  and  in  consequence  condemned  at  Manilla ;  brig  Spy 
damaged,  but  repaired  again ;  brig  Charles  Doggett,  bark  Pallas, 
brig  Edwin,  ship  Eliza,  ship  Emerald,  ship  Augustus,  and  brig 
Consul. 

The  Charles  Doggett  has  recently  returned,  in  consequence  of 
H  22 


170  MEMORIAL. 

having  a  portion  of  her  crew  massacred  by  the  natives.  The 
ship  Oeno,  of  Nantucket,  was  lost  on  one  of  these  islands,  and 
her  officers  and  crew,  consisting  of  twenty-four  in  number,  were 
all  massacred,  in  like  manner,  except  one. 

Thus,  it  must  appear  to  your  honourable  body,  that  the  losses 
sustained  at  this  single  point — to  say  nothing  of  the  value  of 
human  life,  which  is  above  all  value — would  not  fall  far  short,  if 
any,  of  the  amount  necessary  to  fit  out  an  expedition  for  the  better 
examination  of  such  points  in  the  Pacific  ocean  and  South  seas, 
as  require  the  attention  of  government. 

Wherefore,  your  memorialists  beg  leave  to  unite  their  prayer 
with  that  of  the  state  of  Rhode  Island,  praying  that  provision 
may  be  made  by  law  for  a  voyage  of  discovery  and  survey 
to  the  South  seas ;  and  your  memorialists,  as  in  duty  bound, 
will  ever  pray. 

WM.  FETTYPLACE, 

President  of  Salem  East  India  Marine  Society. 
HALL  OF  THE  EAST  INDIA  MARINE  SOCIETY,  Nov.  22,  1834. 

[Signed  by  54  Members  of  the  East  India  Marine  Society.] 


RESOLUTION 


OF    THE    STATE    OF 


NEW     JERSEY. 


Resolved  by  the  House  of  Assembly,  That  we  approve  of  the 
fitting  out  of  an  expedition  to  the  South  seas,  by  the  national 
government,  on  a  voyage  of  discovery  and  survey,  believing  that 
such  expedition,  if  properly  conducted,  could  scarcely  fail  in 
adding  something  to  the  general  stock  of  national  wealth  and 

knowledge,  and  to  the  honour  of  our  common  country. 

i. 

,  HOUSE  OP  ASSEMBLY,  MARCH  2,  1836. 

I  do  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  resolution  was  adopted 
by  the  house  of  assembly  of  New  Jersey  this  day. 

JOS.  C.  POTTS, 

Clerk  pro  tempore  of  the  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Jersey. 


PRO  CEEDINGS 

IN   RELATION  TO 

AN    EXPLORING    EXPEDITION, 

BEFORE   THE   COMMITTEE   ON  NAVAL  AFFAIRS, 

IN  THE 
HOUSE   OF   REPRESENTATIVES  OP  THE   UNITED  STATES,   1828. 


Letter  from  the  Chairman,  by  order  of  the  Committee. 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs. 

SIR  :  If  it  will  not  be  inconvenient  for  you  to  furnish,  it  will  be 
acceptable  to  the  committee  on  naval  affairs  to  receive,  a  brief 
statement,  in  writing,  of  the  views  you  submitted  to  them,  and 
any  others  you  may  deem  proper,  respecting  the  advantages  to 
commerce  of  the  exploring  expedition  to  the  South,  for  which  you 
are  a  petitioner. 

Such  a  statement,  it  is  supposed,  would  contain  your  reasons  for 
general  results,  and  a  reference  to  authorities  for  specific  facts,  as 

Pwell  as  a  tabular  statement  of  the  results  and  facts,  so  far  as  they 
may  be  susceptible  of  being  stated  in  such  a  form. 
With  esteem  and  respect, 

Your  humble  servant, 

MICHAEL  HOFFMAN. 
J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq. 

Answer  to  the  foregoing. 
Hon.  MICHAEL  HOFFMAN, 

Chairman  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs. 

SIR  : — In  compliance  with  your  request,  in  writing,  I  send  you 
a  brief  statement  of  my  views  of  the  extent,  character,  and  advan- 
tages of  the  commerce  of  this  country  in  the  Pacific  ocean,  with 


174  REPORT. 

a  few  calculations,  made  from  the  best  information  I  could  obtain. 
As  the  files  of  the  custom-house  do  not  directly  assist  us  in  this 
investigation,  it  is  but  proper  that  I  should  state  to  you,  distinctly, 
the  sources  from  whence  my  information  has  been  derived ;  and, 
at  the  same  time,  my  avowal  of  the  full  belief,  that  all  my  state- 
ments and  calculations  fall  far  short  of  the  amount  that  the  most 
accurate  accounts,  with  the  mention  of  every  item,  would  swell 
to,  could  they  be  given.  I  have  put  my  facts  into  as  tabular  a 
form  as  the  nature  of  the  case  will  admit,  and  will  exhibit  my 
results  as  succinctly  as  possible. 

The  information  I  have  the  honour  to  exhibit  was  obtained  from 
the  following  sources  : — 

First,  From  frequent  conversations  with  intelligent  men,  long 
acquainted  with  that  trade ;  several  of  whom  had  made  frequent 
voyages  in  those  seas.  ^  j 

Secondly,  From  the  perusal  of  log-books  and  journals  kept  by 
well-informed  men,  while  engaged  in  the  various  commerce  of  the 
Pacific,  covering  a  space  of  more  than  seven  years  previous  to  the 
war,  and  more  than  five  years  since. 

Thirdly,  From  facts  that  have  transpired  in  several  lawsuits 
between  the  owners  of  vessels  employed  in  the  Northwest-coast 
trade  and  their  captains,  agents,  and  factors. 

Fourthly,  From  such  official  documents,  in  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment, as  are  open  to  inspection  on  the  records,  being  letters, 
reports,  &c,,  from  the  several  naval  commanders  who  have  been 
sent  to  protect  our  commerce  in  that  quarter.  ...-,< 

The  objects  of  my  inquiries  have  been :  Firstly,  the  nature 
and  extent  of  the  whale-fishery,  and  of  its  importance  to  the 
welfare  of  our  country. 

Secondly,  The  extent  and  character  of  the  sea-otter-skin  trade. 

Thirdly,  The  fur-seal-skin  trade. 

Fourthly,  The  sandal-wood  trade, 

Fifthly,  The  ivory  sea-elephant-tooth  trade. 


R  E  J>  O  R  T.  175 

Sixthly,  The  land-animal  fur-trade. 
Seventhly,  The  feather-trade. 

To  these  inquiries  I  have  added  a  few  remarks  upon  the 
articles  of  export  for  this  branch  of  commerce,  and  the  general 
benefits  resulting  from  it,  independent  of  the  wealth  it  brings  into 
the  country. 

A  full  account  of  the  whale-fishery,  from  its  earliest  history,  is 
to  be  found  in  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Collection,  brought 
down  to  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war.  At  this 
time,  the  whale-fishery  was  confined  to  Nantucket,  almost  entirely. 
The  last  year,  previous  to  the  interruption  of  the  business  by  the 
British  cruisers,  the  returns  and  results  of  these  voyages  for  the 
season,  were  thirty  thousand  barrels  of  oil,  and  one  hundred  and 
sixty  tons  of  spermaceti  candles.  After  the  close  of  the  conflict, 
whales  becoming  scarce  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  to  which  place 
they  had,  for  some  years  previously  been  pursued,  the  enterprising 
people  of  Nantucket  ventured  into  the  Pacific  ocean,  where  they 
understood,  from  the  accounts  of  Vancouver  and  Cook,  that  the 
whales  were  to  be  found  in  great  abundance.  This  was  soon 
after  the  year  1790.  These  adventurous  voyages  were  attended 
with  success,  and  have  been  increasing  ever  since,  until  it  may 
be  stated  to  have  reached  the  following  extent,  viz. :  to  vessels  of 
considerable  size,  sufficiently  large,  on  an  average,  to  carry  two 
thousand  barrels  of  oil :  in  Nantucket  seventy ;  in  New  Bedford 
sixty ;  in  New  York,  Boston,  Stonington,  New  London,  &c.,  at 
least  twenty  more ;  making  in  the  whole  one  hundred  and  fifty. 

Nantucket  -         70 

New  Bedford  60 

Other  places  -         20 


150' 


*  This  estimate  was  by  far  too  small. 


176  REPORT. 

Suppose  we  say  eighteen  hundred  barrels  of  oil  each,  with  the 
proportion  of  candle  matter,  and  allow  two  years  to  every  voyage, 
this  would  furnish  a  result  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand 
barrels  a  year,  or  four  millions  fifty  thousand  gallons ;  and  the 
spermaceti  candles  would  amount  to  eight  hundred  thirty-seven 
tons,  or  one  million  six  hundred  and  seventy-four  thousand 
pounds  a  year. 

The  crews  of  these  vessels  amount  to  about  twenty-five  each, 
men  and  boys  ;  therefore  keeping  in  employ  three  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  seamen ;  and  thereby  keeping  up  also  a  school 
for  nautical  instruction,  superior  to  any  other  to  be  found.  This 
is  a  business  in  which  there  has,  as  yet,  been  no  great  uncertainty 
or  fluctuation.  Almost  all  who  have  engaged  in  it  have  grown 
rich ;  as  the  market  is  great  for  home  consumption,  and  never 
glutted  abroad. 

As  the  whale-fishery  decreases  in  the  sea  now  frequented  for 
this  purpose,  other  places  must  be  found  to  pursue  it  in  to  advan- 
tage ;  and  as  the  demand  for  less  pure  oil  for  the  manufacture  of 
gas  light,  increases,  the  islands  and  shoals  should  be  explored  for 
the  porpoise  and  sea-elephant,  who  make  their  haunt  in  such 
places;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  sufficient  number  can  be 
found,  by  proper  search,  to  answer  these  demands  as  they  arise. 
Other  fisheries  in  high  latitudes  may  be  enlarged,  and  also  found 
profitable,  the  salmon  and  cod  fisheries  particularly ;  as  there 
would  be  a  great  demand  for  them  in  the  South  American 
provinces — a  people  who  would  not  think  of  supplying  themselves 
for  the  present.  It  may  be  said  of  fish,  perhaps,  what  cannot  be 
said  of  any  other,  or  most  articles  of  consumption,  that  the  mar- 
kets increase  with  the  quantity  brought  to  supply  them. 

This  is  illustrated  by  the  mackerel-fishery,  which  is  principally 
confined  to  Massachusetts  and  Maine.  About  fifteen  years  ago, 
these  states,  then  one  state,  began  to  think  this  branch  of  business 
might  be  made  of  some  importance,  and  inspectors  of  this  article 


REPORT.  177 

were  accordingly  appointed.  It  was  then  stated,  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  most  members  of  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts,  that 
there  were  twenty  thousand  barrels  of  these  fish  pickled  this 
season.  In  a  few  years,  the  returns  proved  that  there  were  thirty 
thousand  barrels  put  up  for  market.  This  fishery  has  been 
gradually  increasing,  until,  by  the  inspector-general's  returns,  it 
appears  that  one  hundred  and  ninety-seven  thousand  six  hundred 
barrels  were  inspected  last  year ;  and  the  price  has  not  diminished ; 
but  the  demand  for  this  food  increased,  and  is  enlarging.  De- 
ducting all  expenses  for  the  sales  of  this  article,  more  than  half  a 
million  of  dollars  is  made  annually,  yea,  fished  up  from  the  bottom 
of  the  ocean,  by  the  industry  and  enterprise  of  our  people,  and 
that,  too,  in  a  healthy  employment. 

Suppose,  then,  we  could  open  a  market  for  these  fish  in  South 
America:  the  quantity,  however  large,  would  be  all  wanted,  as 
the  great  mass  of  the  inhabitants  would  soon  wish  to  change  the 
vegetable  diet  of  their  fast-days,  for  the  more  satisfactory  and 
nutritious  food  they  would  find  in  the  fish-market.  This  is 
proven  from  the  fact,  that  Spain  and  Italy,  with  the  West  India 
islands,  have  been  the  great  consumers  of  our  fish  from  the  Grand 
Banks  and  the  Labradores,  and  have,  in  most  instances,  paid  us 
for  them  in  specie.  In  1744,  thirty-two  thousand  quintals  of  cod- 
fish were  sent  from  New  England  to  Europe — this  was  of  a 
superior  quality — and  three  thousand  and  twenty  hogsheads  of 
tol  qual.  to  the  West  Indies. 

That  the  traffic  in  sea-otter-skins  has  been  very  profitable,  Is 
conceded  on  all  hands  ;  but  from  the  secrecy  of  the  first  naviga- 
tors into  that  ocean,  the  precise  extent  of  it  cannot  be  ascertained. 
These  valuable  skins  were  at  first  bought  up  from  the  natives  on 
the  Northwest,  for  a  mere  trifle,  in  red  cloth,  glass  beads,  a  piece 
of  cutlery,  &c.,  but  not  so  of  late — these  skins  being  from  forty 
to  seventy  dollars,  and  more,  in  China.  The  most  experienced 
men  in  this  trade  put  the  amount  of  it  since  it  was  first  begun, 

23 


••  I  -  > 

'"J  :ijfe?'.' 


178  REPORT. 

from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  millions  of  dollars,  and  no  one  lower 
than  ten  millions.  These  animals  have  only,  as  yet,  been  found 
in  certain  latitudes,  from  44°  to  60°  north;  and  between  east 
longitude  from  London,  136°  to  150°;  inhabiting  in  great  abun- 
dance, Beering's  islands,  Kamtschatka,  the  Aleuthian  and  Fox 
islands ;  they  land  also  on  the  Kurile  islands. 

Now,  naturalists  can  find  no  reason  why  they  should  not  exist 
on  lands  that  may  yet  be  found  in  the  Southern  hemisphere. 
This  is  a  subject  to  be  settled,  and  that  nation  which  may  have 
the  honour  of  the  discovery,  will  undoubtedly  have,  as  they  well 
deserve,  the  profits. 

The  sandal-wood  trade  is  not  so  difficult,  perhaps,  to  estimate : 
for  there  has  not  been  quite  so  much  secrecy  about  it.  For  many 
years,  this  wood  had  been  found  in  the  islands  of  those  seas ; 
but  it  was  not  known  to  have  been  a  growth  of  the  Sandwich 
islands,  until  it  was  discovered  by  Captains  Davis  and  Winship, 
of  Boston,  about  twenty-four  years  since.  The  quantity  cut  on 
this  group  of  islands,  is  about  three  hundred  thousand  dollars 
worth  a  year ;  and  what  is  found  and  cut  on  other  islands,  will 
make  the  trade  in  this  article,  at  this  time,  amount  to  near  half  a 
million  a  year.  If  this  wood  should  become  scarce,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  find  new  groves  of  it  on  other  islands,  or  we  must 
teach  the  natives  how  to  grow  it ;  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  many 
judicious  navigators,  that  this  may  as  well  be  effected,  as  to 
cultivate  the  oak  or  ash,  or  any  other  tree  of  our  own  forests.* 

The  fur-seal-skin  trade  has  been  very  extensive  and  profitable 
in  the  Pacific.  It  is  the  general  opinion  of  those  conversant  with 
the  trade,  that  more  than  seven  millions  of  fur-seal-skins  have 
been  taken  by  our  enterprising  seamen,  since  we  commenced 
business  in  the  Pacific.  These  skins  have  generally  been  sold  in 
Canton  for  from  two  to  three  dollars,  and  sometimes  more,  on  an 

*  Query, — Could  not  this  wood  be  grown  in  some  parts  of  Florida,  and  on  the 
coast  of  Liberia! 


REPORT.  179 

average,  for  each  skin  :  some  have  been  brought  to  this  country* 
and  sold  for  domestic  uses.  The  Stonington  Telegraph  mentions 
the  extent  of  the  seal-trade  in  that  small  place,  which  shows  the 
enterprise  of  that  industrious  people  in  a  very  strong  light.  From 
November,  1819,  to  August,  1827,  there  were  seventeen  vessels 
which  belonged  to  this  port,  and  which  brought,  as  an  item  of 
their  cargo,  skins,  which  were  sold  at  auction,  to  the  amount  of 
three  hundred  and  ten  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty-seven 
dollars  and  eight  cents  ;  and  these  skins  were  mostly  taken  in 
a  high  latitude.  Let  it  also  be  remembered,  that  this  is  a 
mere  item,  made  tangible  from  having  been  sold  at  auction ;  and 
that  this  amount  of  skins,.exchanged  in  Canton  for  teas,  would 
bring  into  the  public  treasury  an  amount,  on  the  first  return, 
greatly  surpassing  what  would  be  necessary  to  send  out  an 
efficient  exploring  expedition. 

The  demand  for  this  fur  is  increasing  in  this  country,  as  the 
seals  are  diminishing  in  the  Pacific.  New  islands  must  be  found, 
where  they  have  not  as  yet  been  disturbed,  to  furnish  a  supply 
for  the  market.  The  hunting  of  the  whale  and  seal,  heretofore 
carried  on  with  so  much  vigour,  has  produced  the  natural  and 
necessary  consequence  of  rendering  those  animals  more  timid, 
and  fewer  in  number,  by  their  destruction,  without  reference  to 
season.  These  animals  as  naturally  and  instinctively  leave  the 
haunts  of  the  whalers  and  sealers,  and  retire  to  the  more  remote 
regions,  as  the  wild-game  of  the  west  recede  before  the  advances 
of  the  sturdy  backwoodsman.  They  can  be  followed,  and  found 
in  greater  abundance,  and  taken  with  less  uncertainty  and  risk. 
The  results  of  late  voyages  prove  that  they  can  be  procured  with 
great  facility  in  the  remote  polar  regions.  Captain  Parry,  with 
great  profit  to  the  British  nation,  opened  a  new  channel  for  their 
trade,  by  transferring  their  fisheries  from  East  to  West  Greenland. 
He  says  the  number  of  whales  in  those  high  latitudes  was  aston- 
ishing ;  that  not  less  than  fifty  were  seen  in  a  single  watch. 


180  REPORT. 

Captain  Franklin,  standing  on  the  shore  of  the  Arctic  ocean, 
describes  the  seal  as  sporting  in  shoals  like  porpoises.  The  dis- 
covery of  islands  of  great  size  to  the  south  is  not  too  much  to 
be  hoped  for,  if  we  may  be  allowed  to  draw  any  inference  from 
the  obvious  indications  afforded  by  analogy,  the  observations  of 
experienced  navigators,  or  the  natural  indications  afforded  by  ice, 
currents,  &c.,  already  known  to  exist  in  those  regions.  Such 
discoveries  are  coupled  with  the  certainty,  that  the  profit  to  be 
derived  from  them,  in  a  commercial  point  of  view,  may  be  applied 
to  the  great  advantage  of  our  common  country. 

The  land-animal  fur- trade  has  not  as  yet  been  much  encour- 
aged, but  several  persons  are  now  turning  their  attention  to  it. 
The  Hudson  Bay  Company,  which  has  been  chartered  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  years,  have  made  the  most  grasping,  exten- 
sive, and  successful  monopoly  of  this  trade  that  is  known  in  the 
annals  of  commerce;  but  a  few  spirited  capitalists,  with  strong 
and  well-situated  factories  on  the  Northwest  coast,  would  soon 
take  no  small  proportion  of  this  immense  trade.  In  Robson's 
account  of  Hudson's  bay  to  the  first  lord  commissioner  of  En- 
gland, he  says  : — "  There  are  furs,  my  lord,  on  this  large  tract  of 
land,  sufficient  to  supply  all  Europe,  which  yet  are  locked  up  by 
a  few  men." 

The  ivory-trade  is  becoming  important,  and  will  be  much  more 
extensive  than  it  now  is,  when  the  sea-elephant  is  hunted  for  oil, 
as  it  will  be  when  the  whale  becomes  less  numerous,  and  more 
oil  is  wanted  for  gas-works,  as  the  great  cities  get  more  and  more 
in  the  habit  of  using  it.  The  porpoise-oil  and  seal-oil  will  be 
worth  making  for  this  purpose.  The  porpoise-fishery  was  for- 
merly not  heard  of;  once  in  a  while,  a  porpoise  was  taken  by 
accident ;  but  now  the  Indians  and  others  pursue  it  to  a  consider- 
able extent,  on  our  own  northeast  ernmost  coast. 

The  feather-trade  has  not  as  yet  been  followed  in  those  seas,  as 
it  might  have  been ;  but,  from  the  immense  quantity  of  sea-fowl 


REPORT.  181 

in  those  regions,  it  is  certain  that  the  best  of  feathers  might  be 
obtained,  and  in  the  greatest  abundance.  Some  of  the  beds 
brought  from  the  Northwest  coast  are  nearly  equal  in  quality  to 
the  eider-down  beds  of  Russia.  The  demand  for  feathers  is 
great,  and  constantly  increasing  in  this  country.  The  finest  quills 
might  be  obtained  in  pursuing  this  trade,  and  the  demand  for  them 
is  now  great,  and  constantly  increasing.  The  manner  of  preparing 
them,  as  the  Dutch  prepare  them,  might  easily  be  taught  to  those 
engaged  in  the  business ;  and  instead  of  paying  near  half  a  million 
of  dollars  a  year  to  Holland  and  Russia,  and  other  countries,  for 
quills,  we  could  by  this  trade,  supply  our  own  market  and  others. 

The  articles  which  we  export  for  this  trade  are  now  all  within 
ourselves.  Rice,  tobacco,  rum,  whiskey,  blankets,  coarse  wool- 
lens, cottons,  calicoes,  the  ordinary  kinds  of  cutlery,  and  trivial 
jewellery,  and  agricultural  utensils,  and  some  articles  of  household 
furniture,  will  soon  find  a  market  in  the  Sandwich  islands. 

It  should  be  taken  into  consideration  that  these  voyages  are  in 
the  character  of  double  voyages.  The  Northwest-coast  cargoes 
are  now,  in  small  vessels,  sent  to  China,  and  their  proceeds 
furnish  cargoes  for  large  vessels  sent  direct  from  this  country  to 
Canton :  and,  by  these  means,  we  save  the  precious  metals  at 
home,  which  the  direct  China  trade  has  so  long  drained  us  of. 

To  show  the  profitableness  of  this  trade,  we  have  only  to  look 
to  those  who  have  been  engaged  in  it,  and  we  shall  find  that  most 
of  them  who  began  it  early,  have  made  large  fortunes,  and  but 
very  few  of  them  have  been  unsuccessful.  The  cry  is,  that  the 
trade,  or  business,  is  overdone.  This  is  natural :  those  who  have 
enjoyed  the  profits,  are  not  willing  to  share  them  with  others. 

The  extent  of  our  commerce  in  those  seas,  in  the  whale,  fur, 
and  other  trades,  may,  in  some  measure,  be  estimated  by  a  report 
of  Captain  Hull,  who  was  sent  into  the  Pacific,  to  protect  our 
commerce  there.  He  says  that,  from  the  30th  March,  1824,  to 
December  1st,  1825,  he  boarded  two  hundred  and  thirty-two 


182  REPORT. 

vessels,  whose  tonnage  amounted  to  forty-three  thousand  five 
hundred  and  two  tons,  and  the  men  to  two  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty-two,  and  the  guns  carried  by  these  vessels  to  two 
hundred  and  ninety-five  : — 

Vessels,  ....  232 

Tonnage,     -  -  43,502 

Men,      -  ....       2,352 

Guns,         -     »••**$     -  -  295 

And  the  probability  is,  that  he  did  not  fall  in  with  one  half  of  the 

number  then  navigating  the  Pacific. 

When  Captain  Jones  visited  the  island  of  Woahoo,  on  the  first 
of  November,  1827,  he  found  nineteen  vessels  in  the  port,  whose 
tonnage  amounted  to  five  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty,  with 
crews  amounting  to  three  hundred  and  seventy-eight  men.  Four 
of  these  vessels  were  loaded  with  skins,  &c.,  and  fifteen  of  them 
were  whalemen,  and  had  on  board  twenty-five  thousand  and 
eighty  barrels  of  oil,  and  only  wanted  about  six  thousand  three 
hundred  and  twenty  barrels  to  make  full  cargoes. 

All  is  activity  and  spirit  in  these  voyages :  every  master  of  a 
vessel  and  his  officers  and  men  are  striving  to  do  better  than  their 
fellow-labourers.  These  long  and  difficult  voyages  give  a  hardi- 
hood and  enterprise  to  American  seamen,  which  will  continue  as 
long  as  we  are  engaged  in  this  trade.  The  length  of  the  voyage, 
the  difficulty  of  the  navigation,  the  large  size  of  the  vessels,  the 
science  and  care  necessary  for  sailing  them  in  safety,  and  the 
vicissitudes  of  the  voyage,  make  the  youngest  on  board  a  navi- 
gator, a  seaman,  a  pilot,  and  a  gunner. 

******         -.J!(r  *  * 

Be  pleased  to  accept,  for  yourself,  and  for  the  honourable  mem- 
bers of  your  committee,  the  assurance  of  the  respect  and  esteem 
with  which  I  am,  sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  N.  REYNOLDS. 


REPORT 


OF   THE 


COMMITTEE   ON  NAVAL  AFFAIRS. 


March  25,  1828.— Mr.  RIPLEY,  from  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs,  made  the 
following  report: — 

The  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs,  to  whom  were  referred  a  great  number 
of  memorials  from  citizens  of  various  sections  of  the  United  States, 
praying  aid  from  the  Government  in  fitting  out  vessels  for  an  exploring 
expedition  to  the  Pacific  seas,  report : — 

THAT  the  number  and  character  of  the  memorialists,  and  the 
opinions  they  have  expressed  upon  the  subject  of  the  memorials, 
have  called  the  committee  to  an  attentive  and  careful  considera- 
tion of  the  means  required  for  such  an  expedition,  the  importance 
of  the  interests  connected  with  it,  and  the  immediate  as  well  as 
ultimate  advantages  it  promises  to  the  nation.  The  committee  do 
not  propose  to  recapitulate  their  own  views  upon  these  subjects, 
but  to  refer  the  House  to  documents  in  their  possession,  with  the 
general  correctness  of  which  they  are  satisfied. 

For  information  in  relation  to  the  means  required,  they  refer 
to  a  communication  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  of  the  14th 
of  March,  1828,  in  reply  to  a  note  addressed  to  him  by  the 
committee. 

In  relation  to  the  interests,  individual  and  national,  connected 
with  such  an  expedition,  the  committee  refer  to  a  statement  sub- 
mitted to  them  by  Mr.  J.  N.  Reynolds,  on  the  10th  February, 
1828,  in  answer  to  inquiries  addressed  to  him  by  order  of  the 


184  REPORT. 

committee.  So  much  of  the  statement  as  exhibits  the  amount 
of  our  commerce  in  the  Pacific  seas,  the  committee  think  is  fully 
sustained  by  the  reports  of  the  officers  of  our  navy,  who  have, 
by  order  of  the  Secretary,  heretofore  made  reports  upon  that 
subject,  to  which  Mr.  Reynolds  refers,  and  with  which  his  state- 
ment has  been  compared,  as  well  as  with  the  accounts  of  others 
familiar  with  those  branches  of  our  trade. 

The  dangers  to  which  an  immense  amount  of  property  is 
exposed,  as  well  as  the  hazard  to  human  life,  for  the  want  of 
knowledge,  by  more  accurate  surveys,  of  the  regions  to  which 
our  commerce  is  extending,  and  the  probable  new  sources  of 
wealth  which  may  be  opened  and  secured  to  us,  seem  to  your 
committee  not  only  to  justify,  but  to  demand  the  appropriation 
recommended  ;  they  therefore  report  a  bill  for  the  purpose. 


CORRESPONDENCE 

BETWEEN   THE 

CHAIRMAN  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  ON  NAVAL  AFFAIRS 

AND   THE 

SECRETARY  OF  THE  NAVY. 


HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,      % 
Committee  on  Naval  A/airs,  March  3,  1828.  > 

SIR  :  The  house  has  referred  to  the  committee  on  naval  affairs 
several  petitions,  praying  that  an  expedition  may  be  sent  into  the 
Pacific  and  Southern  ocean. 

I  am  directed  by  the  committee  to  ask  of  your  department  your 
opinion  respecting  such  an  expedition,  and  briefly  your  reasons 
for  it ;  and,  if  you  shall  be  of  opinion  that  such  an  expedition 
ought  to  be  sent  there,  to  request  of  you  a  project  of  the  law  to 
authorize  it,  with  your  reasons  for  its  several  provisions,  and  any 
other  information  you  may  be  pleased  to  give  on  the  subject 
With  esteem  and  respect,  I  am,  sir, 

Your  humble  servant, 

MICHAEL  HOFFMAN. 
Hon.  SAMUEL  L.  SOUTHARD, 

Secretary  of  the  Navy. 


NAVY  DEPARTMENT,  March  14,  1828. 

SIR  :  I  have  had  the  honour  to  receive  your  letter  of  the  3d 
March,  in  which,  on  behalf  of  the  committee  on  naval  affairs,  you 
"ask  my  opinion  respecting  an  exploring  expedition  into  the 
Pacific  and  Southern  ocean,  and,  briefly,  my  reasons  for  it." 

24 

*!''  .  'V        '   '          X"-'--" 


186  SAML.      L.      SOUTHARD. 

I  entertain  the  opinion  that  such  an  expedition  is  expedient. 
My  reasons  are  briefly  these  : — 

That  we  have  an  immense  and  increasing  commerce  in  that 
region,  which  needs  the  protecting  kindness  of  the  government, 
and  may  be  greatly  extended  by  such  an  expedition.  Of  the 
extent  and  nature  of  this  commerce,  it  is  not  easy  to  write 
briefly;  nor  is  it  necessary.  It  is  better  known  to  none  than 
to  some  of  the  members  of  the  naval  committee  in  the  house 
of  representatives.  The  estimate  of  its  value  has  been  much 
augmented,  in  the  view  of  the  department,  by  the  reports  which 
have  been  made,  under  its  orders,  by  our  naval  officers  who 
have  commanded  vessels  of  war  in  the  Pacific,  and  which  are 
now  on  file. 

The  commercial  operations  carried  on  in  that  quarter  are  diffi- 
cult and  hazardous :  they  are  correctly  represented  in  the  memo- 
rial of  the  inhabitants  of  Nantucket,  to  which  I  would  refer,  as 
well  as  to  some  of  the  many  other  memorials  which  have  been 
addressed  to  Congress  on  this  subject.  It  would  seem  wise  in 
the  government  to  render  these  commercial  operations  less  hazard- 
ous, and  less  destructive  of  life  and  property,  if  it  can  be  done  by 
a  moderate  expenditure  of  money. 

The  commerce  in  the  Pacific  ocean  affords  one  of  the  best 
nurseries  for  our  seamen.  An  expedition,  such  as  that  proposed, 
would  be  calculated  to  increase  that  class  of  citizens — an  increase 
in  which  the  government  and  nation  are  deeply  interested. 

We  now  navigate  the  ocean,  and  acquire  our  knowledge  of 
the  globe,  its  divisions  and  properties,  almost  entirely  from  the 
contributions  of  others.  By  sending  an  expedition  into  that  im- 
mense region,  so  little  known  to  the  civilized  world,  we  shall  add 
something  to  the  common  stock  of  geographical  and  scientific 
knowledge,  which  is  not  merely  useful  to  commerce,  but  connects 
itself  with  almost  all  the  concerns  of  society;  and  while  we  make 
our  contribution  to  this  common  stock,  we  shall  not  fail  to  derive 


SAML.      L.      SOUTHARD.  187 

the  best  advantages  to  ourselves,  and  be  richly  paid,  even  in  a 
calculation  of  expenditure  and  profit. 

The  bill  need  not  contain  any  other  provisions,  as  the  amount 
of  the  appropriation  will  limit  the  expenditure;  and  I  do  not 
presume  that  Congress  would  desire  to  prescribe  the  size  of  the 
vessels,  their  equipage,  or  the  number  and  character  of  the  persons 
to  be  employed. 

In  either  of  the  plans  proposed,  whatever  is  done  will  be  under 

the  direction  of  this  department,  and  the  expense  may  be  greatly 

diminished  by  permitting  certain  of  the  naval  officers  to  join  the 

expedition,  and  by  using  other  facilities  which  are  under  its  control. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

Very  respectfully,  &c. 

SAM.  L.  SOUTHARD. 
Hon.  MICHAEL  HOFFMAN,  it<"'\ 

Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Naval  Affairs,  H.  R. 


EXTRACT 


FROM  THE  ANNUAL 


REPORT  OF  THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  NAVY, 

NOVEMBER  27,  1828. 


ON  the  21st  of  May,  1828,  the  House  of  Representatives 
passed  a  resolution  requesting  the  President  of  the  United  States 
"to  send  one  of  our  ^rnall  vessels  to  the  Pacific  ocean  and  South 
seas,  to  examine  the  coasts,  islands,  harbours,  shoals,  and  reefs, 
in  those  seas,  and  to  ascertain  their  true  situation  and  descrip- 
tion;" and  authorizing  the  use  of  such  facilities  as  could  be 
afforded  by  the  department,  without  further  appropriation  during 
the  year.  To  this  resolution  it  was  your  earnest  wish  that  early 
and  full  attention  should  be  paid. 

There  was  no  vessel  belonging  to  our  navy,  which,  in  its  then 
condition,  was  proper  to  be  sent  upon  this  expedition.  The 
Peacock  was,  therefore,  selected,  and  placed  at  the  navy  yard  at 
New  York,  to  be  repaired,  and  supplied  with  conveniences 
suited  to  the  object.  Her  repairs  and  preparations  are  now 
nearly  completed,  and  she  will  be  ready  to  sail  in  a  few  weeks. 

In  looking  to  the  great  purpose  for  which  the  resolution  was 
passed,  and  the  difficulties  and  dangers  which  must  necessarily 
be  encountered,  it  seemed  to  be  both  unsafe  and  inexpedient  to 
sen$  only  one  .vessel.  But  the  department  did  not  feel  that  it  had 
the  authority  either  to  purchase  another,  or  to  detach  one  more 
of  the  small  vessels  of  the  navy,  to  be  joined  with  the  Peacock. 
Nor,  indeed,  is  there  another  in  the  service  suited  to  this  peculiar 
employment.  But  the  opinion  and  wish  of  the  Department  being 
known,  an  offer  was  made  to  it  of  such  a  vessel  as  was  desired, 


190  REPORT. 

being  about  200  tons  burden,  and  calculated  for  cruising  in  the 
high  southern  latitude,  and  among  the  ice  islands  and  reefs  which 
are  known  to  exist  there.  This  vessel  has  been  received  and 
placed  at  the  navy  yard,  upon  the  .express  agreement,  that  a 
recommendation  should  be  made  to  Congress  to  authorize  its 
purchase,  and  if  the  recommendation  was  not  approved,  that  it 
should  be  returned  to  the  owner.  No  money  has  been  expended 
under  this  arrangement.  That  satisfactory  evidence  might  be  had, 
both  of  the  fitness  of  the  vessel  and  its  value,  directions  were 
given  to  Mr.  Eckford,  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  Hartt,  the  naval 
constructor  at  Brooklyn,  to  examine  it,  and  report  on  these  points. 
Their  report  fixes  the  value  at  $10,000.  I  cheerfully  discharge 
my  obligation  under  the  agreement,  by  an  earnest  recommenda- 
tion that  Congress  authorize  the  price  to  be  paid.  Should  this 
not  be  done,  the  vessel  will  be  returned. 

Measures  have  been  taken  to  procure  information  of  the  present 
state  of  knowledge  in  our  country,  on  the  subjects  pointed  out  in 
the  resolution,  from  our  citizens  who  have  been  employed  in  the 
navigation  of  those  seas,  and  who  possess  information  derived 
from  experience,  which  is  confined  very  much  to  themselves  and 
their  log-books  and  journals.  An  agent  has  been  usefully  and 
successfully  engaged  in  this  object,  and  has  found  few  obstacles 
thrown  in  his  way.  Those  who  have  been  most  acquainted  by 
business  and  interest  with  that  portion  of  the  globe,  feel  the 
deepest  solicitude  for  the  success  of  the  enterprise.  The  expe- 
dition will  be  enabled  to  sail  with  better  guides  than  are  usually 
possessed  by  those  who  embark  in  similar  undertakings. 

With  a  view  to  give  the  most  useful  character  to  the  enterprise, 
it  is  important  that  persons  skilled  in  the  various  branches  of 
science  should  partake  in  it.  Correspondence  has  therefore  been 
held  with  scientific  men,  and  some  selections  have  been  made, 
and  others  are  now  making,  by  the  department,  of  astronomers, 
naturalists,  and  others,  who  are  willing  to  encounter  the  toil,  and 


REPORT.  191 

will  be  able  to  bring  home  to  us  results  which  will  advance  the 
honour  and  promote  the  interests  of  the  nation. 

The  resolution  was  understood  to  authorize  the  use  of  the  naval 
appropriations  to  furnish  -facilities  for  the  expedition ;  and  they 
have  been  used  for  all  those  objects  which  come  within  the  terms 
in  the  bills  of  appropriations ;  as  pay,  subsistence,  instruments, 
books,  &c.  But  there  are  indispensable  objects,  which  do  not 
come  within  any  of  the  items  in  the  bill,  and  for  which  provision 
is  required.  A  bill  on  the  subject  was  reported  by  the  naval  com- 
mittee at  the  last  session  of  Congress,  and  placed  on  the  list  of 
business  to  be  acted  upon,  but  was  not  reached  before  the  close 
of  the  session.  Its  passage  is  necessary  to  accomplish  the  pur- 
poses designed  by  the  resolution.  It  does  not  seem  proper  to 
detail  the  "  facilities"  which  it  is  the  intention  of  the  department 
to  aiford.  One  of  them  should  be  a  vessel  to  carry  provisions,  in 
order  that,  upon  the  arrival  of  the  expedition  at  the  scene  of  ope- 
rations, the  exploring  vessels  may  be  supplied  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  may  not  be  driven  from  their  employment  at  too  early  a 
period,  and  that  they  may  subsequently,  from  time  to  time,  be 
further  supplied  from  distant  stations,  so  that  no  cause  but  the 
elements  may  arrest  their  labours  :  but  they  may  at  all  times  and 
seasons  be  at  liberty  to  pursue  their  investigations  without  inter- 
ruption. Other  and  obvious  uses  may  be  made  of  such  a  vessel, 
in  the  relief  which  it  will  afford  should  disease  or  death  make 
serious  inroads  on  their  numbers.  A  vessel  suited  to  this  object 
is  within  the  control  of  the  department,  and  will  either  be  char- 
tered or  purchased,  as  the  means  afforded  by  Congress  may 
permit.  The  importance  of  the  expedition,  in  all  its  aspects,  and 
especially  in  its  commercial  relations,  has  augmented,  in  the  view 
of  the  department,  by  all  the  inquiries  and  investigations  which 
have  been  made ;  and  an  anxious  desire  is  felt  that  nothing  should 
be  omitted  which  can  tend  to  its  ultimate  success. 


:s 


LETTER  FROM  THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  NAVY, 


TRANSMITTING   A 


REPORT  OF  J.  N.  REYNOLDS, 


IN  RELATION  TO 


ISLANDS,  REEFS,  AND  SHOALS, 

IN  THE  PACIFIC  OCEAN,  &c. 



JANUARY  27,  1835.— Referred  to  the  Committee  on  Commerce. 


NAVY  DEPARTMENT,  January  24,  1835. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honour  to  send  herewith  an  original  report 
of  J.  N.  Reynolds,  Esq.,  dated  the  24th  of  September,  1828, 
describing  certain  islands,  reefs,  and  shoals  in  the  Pacific  ocean, 
&c.,  and  which  is  presumed  to  be  the  report  called  for  by  the 
resolution  of  the  house  of  representatives  of  the  23d  instant,  and 
referred  to  as  dated  the  9th  October,  1829.  When  no  longer, 
required,  it  is  respectfully  requested  it  may  be  returned. 
I  am,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

M.  DICKERSON. 
Hon.  JOHN  BELL, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

CITY  OF  NEW  YORK,  September  24,  1828. 
To  the  Hon.  SAMUEL  L.  SOUTHARD,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

SIR:  In  obedience  to  your  request  of  June  30,  I  repaired, 
without  delay,  to  New  London,  Stonington,  Newport,  New  Bed- 
ford, Edgartown,  Nantucket,  and  other  places  where  information 

I  25 

- 


^^ 


194  PACIFIC     AND 

might  be  found  of  the  Pacific  ocean  and  South  seas.  The  whaling 
captains  were  ready  to  communicate  such  knowledge  as  they  had 
treasured  up  or  recorded  in  their  numerous  voyages.  The  owners 
of  the  whale-ships  were  equally  anxious  to  do  all  in  their  power 
to  assist  me  in  the  object  of  my  visit  to  them.  In  these  places, 
the  navigators  are  certainly  better  acquainted  with  those  seas 
than  any  other  people  in  this  or  any  other  country  can  be.  The 
information  had,  in  some  measure,  been  gathered  in  gross,  but 
without  order  or  much  arrangement ;  and  I  had  to  go  over  the 
whole  ground,  and  examine  at  Nantucket  every  individual  navi- 
gator of  those  seas  who  could  be  found  at  home,  with  their  log- 
books, and  journals,  and  charts  The  doing  of  this,  and  putting 
the  intelligence  into  such  form  as  might  save  you  much  time  in 
reading,  was  a  work  of  no  trifling  magnitude,  which  I  mention 
only  to  excuse  the  delay  of  this  report.  It  was  pleasant  for  me 
to  find  that  all  I  had  heard  before  was  confirmed  by  a  long  train 
of  witnesses,  and  every  calculation  I  had  previously  made  fell  far 
short  of  the  truth. 

The  first  objects  of  my  inquiry  were  the  navigation,  geography, 
and  topography  presented  by  the  whole  range  of  the  seas,  from 
the  Pacific  to  the  Indian  and  Chinese  oceans ;  also,  the  extent  and 
nature  of  our  commerce  and  fisheries  in  these  seas. 

The  whole  number  of  vessels  in  the  whale-fishery,  with  those 
engaged  in  the  sealing  business,  far  exceeded  the  number  I  had 
given  in  my  communication  to  the  naval  committee,  and  their 
tonnage  was  much  greater.  There  are  at  least  two  hundred  ships 
employed,  being  on  an  average  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five 
tons ;  some  as  large  as  five  hundred,  and  others  under  two  hundred 
tons.  The  average  length  of  their  voyages,  taking  one  hundred 
and  seventy-eight  voyages,  from  1815  to  1824,  was  twenty-nine 
months,  and  the  average  cargo  of  oil  from  the  same  ships  was 
exceeding  seventeen  hundred  barrels.  But  it  should  be  observed 
.that  the  ships  are  now  generally  larger  than  they  were  formerly, 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  195 

the  small  ones  being  sold  out  of  the  fleet,  as  the  whalemen  call 
their  ships,  or  broken  up  from  decay  and  age.  The  length  of 
their  voyage  is  naturally  increasing,  from  the  fact  that  our  whale- 
men are  traversing  new  seas  for  the  whale,  sometimes  doubling 
the  Cape  of  Goo,d  Hope,  and  taking  an  eastern  direction,  meeting 
their  brethren  of  the  same  pursuits  who  have  doubled  Cape  Horn, 
while  the  latter  sail  over  the  ground  in  an  opposite  direction  which 
the  former  had  just  traversed. 

The  crews  of  these  ships,  I  found  from  general  inquiry  and  a 
close  inspection  of  their  log-books  and  journals,  are  remarkably 
healthy.  What  sickness  they  have  is  from  the  scurvy,  a  disease 
incident  to  long  voyages,  and  which  is  avoided  only  by  the  utmost 
care  and  the  frequent  use  of  fresh  provisions.  The  whaling-ships 
are  provisioned  with  beef,  pork,  and  bread,  for  three  years ;  but 
they  never  exceed  three  months  on  their  whaling  ground  without 
recruiting  themselves  with  fresh  provisions  from  some  neigh, 
bouring  island.  The  utmost  care  is  taken  in  fitting  out  these 
ships  with  many  delicacies ;  and  it  is  a  general  remark  among 
whalers,  that  they  live  better  at  sea  than  on  shore.  Tea,  coffee, 
and  chocolate,  are  freely  used  as  anti-scorbutics.  These  vessels 
are  navigated  with  the  utmost  caution.  Two  men  are  constantly 
placed  at  mast-head,  as  sentinels ;  for  many  of  the  islands,  rocks, 
and  reefs,  are  not  laid  down  in  any  chart ;  and  those  laid  down  or 
not  are  many  of  them  so  low  that  this  precaution  is  indispensably 
necessary  for  their  safety.  From  this  precaution,  many  rocks, 
reefs,  and  islands  have  been  discovered  by  them,  and  pretty 
accurately  noted.  The  whalemen  are  much  advanced  in  mathe- 
matics and  practical  navigation  beyond  other  navigators :  for,  on 
their  long  voyages  out  and  home,  the  most  intelligent  officers 
assist  the  yoiinger  in  their  mathematical  and  nautical  studies; 
and  thus  schooled,  all  come  home  improved  in  their  branches, 
distinction  in  them  being  the  direct  road  to  preferment.  The 
scarcity  of  the  whale  on  the  common  whaling  ground  may  be 


196  PACIFIC     AND 

easily  accounted  for,  when  it  is  understood  that  it  takes  about 
ninety  whales,  as  they  average,  to  make  a  full  cargo,  and  that 
from  this  calculation  our  own  whalemen  take  about  eight  thousand 
a  year,  and,  from  a  moderate  calculation,  more  than  two  thousand 
are  mortally  wounded  that  cannot  be  taken,  making  ten  thousand 
a  year  destroyed  by  us.  I  have  stated  these  particulars  to  show 
how  necessary  it  will  be  to  explore  new  grounds  in  higher 
southern  latitudes  for  the  right  whale,  when  the  sperm  whale 
become  scarce  in  the  equatorial  regions.  And,  from  the  accounts 
I  have  received,  there  is  an  immense  extent  of  ocean  in  the  high 
southern  latitudes  westward,  of  which  there  is  no  account  given ; 
and  if  there  be  any,  but  little  more  is  known  than  this,  that  the 
geographer  has  marked  it  on  his  maps  and  charts  with  a  sweeping 
hand,  to  fill  up  the  mighty  space  of  which  the  world  is  as  yet 
ignorant,  and  will  long  remain  so,  if  the  enterprise  of  our  govern- 
ment does  not  explore  it. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  give  you  a  list  of  the  discoveries  of  our 
enterprising  and  careful  navigators  in  those  seas,  in  as  tabular  a 
form  as  may  be  consistent  with  a  clear  view  of  the  extent  and 
importance  of  these  discoveries.  The  English  charts,  and  those 
of  other  countries,  are  as  yet  very  imperfect.  Much  of  their 
information  has  been  obtained  from  loose  accounts  from  whalers, 
who  were  careless  in  some  instances,  and  forgetful  in  others,  and 
which  were  seized  with  greediness  by  the  makers  of  maps  and 
charts,  in  order  to  be  the  first  to  make  these  discoveries  known. 
But,  perhaps,  it  does  not  become  us  to  be  hypercritical  upon  other 
nations,  as  we  have  as  yet  no  maps  or  charts  of  our  own  to  com- 
pare with  them. 

From  all  the  accounts  I  have  received  of  the  islands,  reefs, 
rocks,  &c.,  in  these  seas,  I  draw  the  inference  that  most  of  them 
are  of  volcanic  origin,  and  have  arisen,  in  the  lapse  of  ages,  in 
groups  or  single  islands,  as  it  has  pleased  the  great  Creator  of  the 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  197 

universe  to  call  them  into  existence  ;  and  by  the  same  great 
engine  of  nature  they  may  be  constantly  changing. 

The  information  I  have  collected,  if  not  perfectly  accurate,  is 
certainly  the  most  so  that  can  be  found.  It  has  been  drawn  from 
purely  original  sources  ;  nothing  has  been  received  at  second  hand. 
I  have  examined  the  log-books,  journals,  maps,  and  charts  of  the 
navigators  themselves,  and  in  most  cases  have  questioned  them 
personally.  Many  of  these  facts  have  been  received  from  several 
quarters,  and  I  have  had  opportunities  to  compare  them  with 
others  that  have  been  offered  before.  Nantucket  often  had  con- 
firmed the  information  from  New  Bedford,  and  vice  versa.  When 
the  individuals  were  equally  good  in  point  of  intelligence,  and 
their  statements  in  any  way  differed,  I  have  given  both  accounts  ; 
but  if  there  was  a  decided  difference  in  the  intelligence  of  the 
authority,  I  have  adopted  that  which  was  held  in  the  most  general 
estimation. 

Some  of  those  whom  I  have  examined,  whose  voyages  were 
of  very  recent  date,  or  were  connected  with  a  train  of  remarkable 
facts,  I  have  considered  separately,  and  have  given  their  statements 
as  made  to  me  verbally,  or  have  taken  extracts  from  their  journals, 
without  placing  their  discoveries  under  the  general  heads.  Their 
brief  statements  of  the  most  recent  date  will  show  most  distinctly 
that  the  field  for  discoveries  is  still  prolific,  and  that  there  will  be 
a  sufficiency  of  subjects  in  those  seas  to  employ  the  enterprise  of 
our  country  for  many  generations  to  come. 

The  currents  have  in  many  instances  been  given  ;  and  from  all 
I  could  gather  from  the  statements  made  to  me,  they  are  caused 
by  the  winds  rather  than  from  any  motion  of  the  earth,  and  of 
course  are  perpetually  varying  in  such  a  manner  that  but  little 
reliance  on  the  experience  of  any  one  can  be  placed.  The  varia- 
tions of  the  needle  I  did  not  find  noticed  by  many  of  the  naviga- 
tors. Captain  Swain,  of  Newport,  has  noticed  the  variations  in 


198  PACIFIC     AND 

some  latitudes,  which  will  be  given  in  this  report.  There  is  one 
fact  worthy  of  remarking,  which  I  obtained  from  the  most  ex- 
perienced navigators,  which  is,  that  in  all  their  voyages  round 
Cape  Horn,  from  the  first  commencement  of  their  entering  the 
Pacific  until  the  present  day,  not  a  single  vessel  has  been 
wrecked  or  lost  in  doubling  the  Cape ;  and  these  navigators  sail 
from  home  whenever  they  are  ready,  without  the  least  regard  to 
the  season  of  the  year :  still,  however,  all  agree  that  March  and 
April  are  the  best  months  to  double  the  Cape,  as  fresh  gales  are 
then  frequent  without  dangerous  storms.  I  noticed,  from  their 
log-books  and  journals,  that  they  reach  the  most  dangerous  parts 
of  the  Cape  navigation  in  about  ninety  or  one  hundred  days  from 
our  shores. 


INDIAN     OCEAN. 


199 


ISLANDS      AND      REEF 


North 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Galago  island  -  - 
Tanning's  do.  -  - 

1°48' 
3  49 

104°  06' 
158  29 

Not  on  the  charts. 
The  centre  of  Tanning's  isl- 

By others  3°  44' 

and  lies  in  3°  52'  N.,  and 

and    159°    6'; 

1  58°  56'  W.,  by  lunar  ob- 

also, 3°  50'  and 

servation  and  chronome- 

158° 45'. 

ter.    It  is  a  lagoon  island, 

the  land  about  5  ft.  above 

the  surface  of  the  water. 

Cocoa-trees,  60  or  70  feet 

in  height,  are  on  it.     The 

remains  of  a  stone  hut, 

about  12  feet  square,  and 

in  it  human  bones,  stone 

hatchets,    and    blackfish- 

teeth,   with  holes  drilled 

"•'-.'•.*  '  ..      -  ' 

thro'  them.     Some  parts 

of    the    land    had    been 

cultivated,    as    appeared 

....  .  ,      \  '  "'';^i:  ': 

by  the  gardens,  fences  of 

• 

stone,  &c.,  remaining,  — 

The   island  is   abput  40 

miles   in   circumference  ; 

the  mouth  of  the  harbour 

30  rods  in  width  on  the 

south    side  ;     soundings, 

going   in,   from    3    to    7 

fathoms  :  there  is  a  good 

harbour  under  the  eastern 

point,   The  Lion  was  lost 

«      •     '    /      •         - 

on  a  reef  which  makes  off 

to  the  south  from  the  en- 

trance of  the  harbour,  on 

the  starboard  hand  going 

- 

in.     The  tide   ebbs   and 

flows  about  5  feet,  and  in 

its  strength  runs  6  to  7 

knots  out  and  in.     Deep 

water  all  round  the  land 

close  in.     About  90  miles 

Washington's  isl- 

4 30 

126 

distant    is    Washington's 

and, 

island. 

200 


PACIFIC     AND 


ISLANDS      AND      REEFS. 

North 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

By  others  4°  50> 

and  160°  30' 

Island,      -     -     - 

6°  36' 

166° 

Barber's  island,  - 

8     54 

178 

' 

Also,  8°  33'  and 

177°  59'. 

Reef,  ,-     -     -     - 

10 

179  24' 

Not  on  the  charts. 

Clipperton'srock, 

10  28 

109  19 

low  island. 

Island,      -     -     - 

11   33 

164 

Not  on  the  charts. 

Do.  \  probably 

13  06 

168  24 

Do.[       the 

13  06 

166 

Do.  )     same. 

13  19 

168  55 

Shoal,-     -     -     - 

14  44 

170  30 

Do.  13°  32',  the 

same  long. 

Gaspar's  island,  - 

15 

176  18 

On  the  charts,  in  176°  18'  E 

By  some  in  east 

long. 

Island,      - 

16 

133 

A  cluster,  from  - 

16  to  17 

and  133  to 

136° 

Roca  coral,   -     - 

16  12 

136  12 

_ 

Island,      -     w    <- 

16  15 

133  30 

Do.  -     -   :<t:  •> 

16  30 

163  54 

Do.        -     -     - 

17 

136 

New  Blada,  -     - 

18  12 

114  03 

Probably  Cloud's  island. 

Island,      -     -     - 

18  22 

155  15 

The  situation  given  this  isl 

and  is  only  about  40  miles 
southeasterly    from     the 

most  southern    point   of 

Owyhee.     Doubtful 

Shoal,-     -     -     - 

18  22 

'170  30 

Not  on  the  charts. 

Clarion's    island, 

18  23 

114  45 

Another  situation  for  Cloud's 

plenty  of  wood. 

island. 

Island,      -     -     - 

19  15 

166  52 

Perhaps    another    situation 

for  Mallon's  island,  which 

is  found  on  the  charts. 

Do.  fresh  water. 

19  22 

115  15 

See  Cloud's  island,  2  lines 

Mai  Ion's  island,  - 

19  23 

165  23 

below. 

Cloud's     do.      - 

19  46 

115 

See  above.     So  many  dif- 

ferent situations  are   as- 

INDIAN     OCEAN. 


201 


ISLANDS     AND      REEFS.' 

North 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

signed   to    an   island   or 

islands  in  this  neighbour 

hood,  that  it  would  seem 

desirable  that  the  true  lat- 

itude and  longitude  should 

be  accurately  determined. 

There  are,  in  fact,  two 

islands  on  the  charts,  near 

this  situation. 

Copper     do. 

20°    6' 

131°54/ 

Placed  on  the  charts  in  east 

longitude. 

Island,      -    -    - 

21 

176  30 

Near    Krusenstern's    rock, 

which  is  placed  on  the 

charts  in  lat.  22°  05',  long. 

175°  4<Y. 

Shaler's  island,  - 

22  06 

112  14 

Not  on  charts.     Doubtful. 

Massachusetts 

22  28 

177  05 

Placed  on  the  charts  in  28° 

island. 

30'  N.,  176°  40'  W. 

Henderson's   isl- 

24 06 

128  30 

Not  on  charts.     By  others 

and,  fresh  wat'r 

in  24°  26'. 

Reef,  shoal,  -     - 

24  14 

168  35 

Two  Brothers  lost  on  it. 

Pollard's  island  - 

24  48 

168 

Gardner's   do.    - 

25  03 

167  40 

Cooper's     do.    - 

25  04 

131   26 

Maro's  reef  -     - 

25  24 

170  12 

By  others  25°  48' 

and  170°  52'; 

also,    25°   28X 

and   170°  20'. 

Island       -     -     - 
Laysan's  island  - 

25  22 
25  50 

131  26 
171  51 

A  repetition   of  Cooper's 
island. 

Also  26°  2'  and 

173°  40'. 

,:/'  i 

Group,  Pearl,  and 

27  46 

176  or 

Hermes,  Brit- 

176°30X 

ish    whalers, 

lost  in  1822. 

Bunker's     island 

28 

173  30 

Island      -     -     - 

28 

176  50 

Cure's  island,  low 

28  25 

178  42 

and  dangerous. 

-00,  .'' 

26 


202 


PACIFIC     AND 


ISLANDS      AND      REEFS. 

North 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Swift's      island, 

33° 

119  06 

(Otter  island.) 

New    Nantucket 

11 

176  20 

S"ot  on  charts. 

St.  Berto  island, 

18 

110 

wood  &  water. 

Island       -     -     - 

13  06 

168  24 

Reef  -     -     -     - 

3  28 

157  59 

Siioal  *     -     -     - 

13  38 

170  30 

Island 

13  05 

168  21 

Same  as  third  above. 

do.   ^    -    -     - 

20 

151   30 

N"ot  on  charts  » 

Wake's  island    -' 

16  49 

169  40 

Here  wrong  placed. 

Shoal  -     -     -     - 

13  36 

170  30 

Ann's  island  -     - 

13  05 

168  21 

Week's  reef  -     - 

16  49 

169  40 

See  third  line  above. 

'  

1  . 

•,'/0J    f  .-';«.  *'.tij  •,%.-??< 

North 

East 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Reef  -    -    -    - 

1° 

179°34/ 

Strong's  island  - 

5  23 

163  10 

An  island,  called  Teyoa,  is 

placed  on  the   charts  in 

latitude  6°  N.I  62°  35'  E. 

Group      ... 

9  05 

164  37 

A  group  of  islands  is  found 

on  the  charts,  in  the  same 

latitude   166°  E. 

Catharine  islanc 

9  08 

166  10 

Aricief's  island  - 

9  18 

161   18 

Island  de  Arresites  is  found 

on  the  charts  in  lat.  10° 

N.,long.  1  60°  30'  E.,  and 

the   island   Casbobas  9° 

, 

40'  and  161°  50/  E. 

Reef  -    -    - 

10 

179  24 

This  reef  is   placed,  in  a 

preceding  part  of  the  list, 
in  179°  24'  W. 

Island       -     - 

16 

171  42 

Not  on  charts. 

Comwallis'S    isl 

16  48 

169  22 

and. 

Tarquin  island 

17 

160 

Not  on  charts. 

Folger's    do. 

18  22 

155  15 

Not  on  charts. 

Granger's  do. 

18  58 

146  14 

Reef  -    -    - 

17  06 

156  14 

INDIAN     OCEAN. 


203 


ISLANDS      AND      REEFS. 

North 

East 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Halcyon    island, 

19°06' 

1630337 

wood.  -     -     - 

Week's   or  Wil- 

19 21 

166  55 

Wake's  island. 

son's  island.    - 

Island       -     -     - 

20  30 

152  50 

Reef  on  chart. 

Lamira     -     -     - 

20  30 

166  42 

Placed  on  chart  in  164°  15' 

Reef-     -     -     - 

21   05 

136  48 

Peru  island  -     - 

21    12 

141  42 

Reef  -     -     -     - 

22  07 

142  24 

Dexter's  island  - 

23  24 

163  05 

Marcus  island    - 

24  18 

153  42 

Probably  Island  de  Sebas- 

tian   Lobos,    placed    on 

chart  about  55  miles  to 

Island  discovered 
by  R.  Weeks. 

24 

154 

the  north,  same  longitude. 
Probably  same  as  preceding. 

Island       -     -     - 

25  12 

131  36 

A  rock  "seen  by  Captain 

Bishop,  in  1796,"  is  placed 

on  the  charts  in  lat.  25° 

*v^    ' 

20/N.,long.  131°  55'  E. 

Reef  -     -    -     - 

-25  30 

152  50 

Not  on  the  charts. 

Forbes's  island  - 

25  42 

131   13 

OK  £  r 

Island       -     -     - 

25  53 

131   17 

do.  -     -     -     - 

26  05 

131  52 

Lasker's  island  - 

26 

173  24 

Reef  on  chart. 

Reef  -     -     -•?  * 

26  06 

160    >  : 

Not  on  chart. 

Tree  island  -    - 

26 

145  44 

Placed  on  the.  charts,  lat. 

27°  to  27°  30'  N.,  same 

longitude. 

Island      - 

28  30 

176  50 

Perhaps  Massachusetts,here 

wrongly  placed  in  east, 
instead  of  west  longitude. 

Calunus  island  - 

28  53 

162 

Island,      -     -     - 

29  26 

143 

1  Three    of  these   islands 

Do.  -    -    -    - 

29  40 

143  06 

are  on  the  charts,  and 

Do.  .... 

30 

143 

another,  (St.  Thomas,) 

Do.  .... 

30 

144  24 

in  lat.  30°   20",  long. 

Do.  -    -    -    - 

30 

141  30 

142°  20'. 

Ganges  island,   - 

30  45 

154  25 

An  island  is  on  the  charts,  in 

lat.  31°,  long.  155°;  no 

doubt  intended  for  same 

204 


PACIFIC     AND 


ISLANDS     AND     REEFS. 

North 

East 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Ganges  island,   - 

31° 

147°  10' 

Not  on  charts. 

Reef,  discovered 

31   15' 

153 

This  reef  is  placed  on  charts 

by  R.  Weeks. 

in  lat.  33°,  same  long. 

Island,      -     -     - 

31   30 

140 

Not  on  charts. 

Reef,  near     -     - 

32 

147 

Not  on  charts. 

Roca  di  Plata,    - 

33  48 

160  48 

Roca  di  Plata  is  found  on 

the  charts  in  lat.  32°  307 

N.,  long.  170°  E. 

Bank,64  fathoms, 

34  25 

178  30 

Mellish's  bank, 

Starbuck's  group, 

173  30 

No  latitude  given. 

Reef,  -     -     -     - 

N.  E.  from  Robert's  island, 

(one  of  the  Marquesas,) 

distant  21  miles  ;  6  miles 

long,  from  N.E.  to  S.W. 

Magus  shoal, 

22  22 

130  11 

Not  on  charts. 

Reef,  -     -     -     - 

I 

178  24 

On  charts,  but  placed  in  1  79° 

24'.     See   also   forward, 

•  *-• 

13th  item,  where  the  same 

longitude  is  given. 

Reef,  -     -    -     - 

20  30 

152  50 

Island       -     -     - 

17 

176  50 

Not  on  chart. 

Talsam's  island  - 

9  30 

166  45 

Not  on  chart. 

Reef,  .... 

2  30 

158  60 

Not  on  chart. 

Island,      -    ^    - 

21   15 

145  48 

Not  on  chart. 

Rock,-     -    £&£ 

31  09 

138  29 

Not  on  chart.     Doubtful.  — 

See  10th  item  forward. 

Island,      -     -     - 

30  33 

139  36 

Very  near  the  situation  of  To- 

dos  los  Santos  on  charts. 

Abyos  island,     - 

23  22 

130  11 

The  same  latitude  and  lon- 

gitude as  given  (in  the  9th 

item  preceding)  to  Magus 

.' 

shoal,      Abajo    island  or 

shoal  is  found  on  charts  in 

lat,  20°20/,  long.  I30°l(y. 

Reef,     seen     by 

2  40 

178  50 

N"ot  on  charts. 

Captain  Trask. 

Reef,  ...     - 

2  30 

153  50 

N"ot  on  charts. 

Island,      -    -     . 

21   15 

145  48 

Same  island  given  in  the  6th 

article  preceding. 

Reef,  .... 

22  12 

142  42 

Do.       -    -    - 

1 

179  24 

INDIAN     OCEAN. 


205 


ISLANDS     AND      REEFS. 

North 

East 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Three  islands,    - 

26°06/ 

145°44X 

See  Tree  island,  preceding. 

Rock,  -     -     w   '  - 

31  42 

141   10 

Not  on  charts. 

Do.  -  -f    ?-  i 

31  09 

139  29 

Not  on  charts.  See  9th  item 

preceding.  Todos  los  San- 
tos is  placed  on  the  chts.  in 

-    .*>.:'} 

Iat.30°45/,long.l39°22/. 

Spartan  island,  - 

1   10 

159  30 

Not  on  charts. 

Moore's  island,  - 

30S 

166  35 

High  land,  well  inhabited. 

Reef,  -     -    -    - 

30  miles  from  Pelrnire's  isl'd; 

very  bad  one.    Longitude 

taken  in  a  strong  current 

'"•-  ^     l>$$ 

South 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Bunker's  shoal,  - 

ir 

160°40/ 

Island       -    -     - 

26 

159  50 

An  isl'd,  called  Jarvis'  island, 

and  a  shoal  or  reef  seen 

..     . 

by  Captain  E.  Clark,  are 

placed  very  near  this  sit- 

uation on  the  charts. 

Do.  -     Ufci'OS^ 

1°05 

138  54 

Not  on  charts. 

Brock's  island,   - 

1   13 

159  30 

Clark's  island,    - 

3 

151   30 

Island,      -     -     - 

3  14 

170  50 

Birney's  island,  in  lat.3020x, 

Do.  -    ... 

3  33 

173  40 

long.  171°  30'  W.  ;  and 

Do.  -    -    -    - 

3  35 

170  40 

Sidney's  island,  in  lat.  4° 

Sidney's  island,  - 

4  30 

171   20 

25',  long.  171  °20/W.?  dis- 

covered by  Capt.Emmert, 

will  be  found  on  the  charts. 

Island,      -     -     - 

3  57 

154  20 

Maldone's  island,   of  Lord 

Byron,    placed    on     the 

charts  155°  W. 

Reef,  --.- 

5  30 

175 

Not  on  the  charts. 

Starbuck's  island, 

5  40 

155  53 

Loper's  island,    - 

6  07 

177  40 

Not  on  the  charts. 

Island  \  probably 

6  32 

167 

An  island  is  on  the  charts,  in 

Do.   >      the 

6  36 

166 

6°  36',  long.  166°. 

Do.  )    same. 

6  45 

160  48 

Island       -    -    - 

10  05 

162  20 

Reirson's  island  and  Hum-. 

DO.    -         b»q* 

10  30 

161  28 

phrey's  island,  discovered 

206 


PACIFIC      AND 


ISLANDS      AND      REEFS. 

South 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Reef,  .... 

10°46' 

136°06 

by  Captain  Patrickson  in 

Island,      --- 

11  47 

162° 

1822,  are  placed  on  the 

charts  in  lat.  10°   30'-— 

160°  55',  and  10°  12'— 

160°  50'.    A  shoal  is  also 

laid  down  in  lat.   11°  — 

165°  48',  and  an  island  in 

lat.  10°  55'—  166°  00' 

Wmslow   island, 

14  10 

177  W 

inhabited. 

Island,      ... 

15  38 

161   18 

Not  on  charts. 

Do.  Simms 

15  47 

161   14 

Not  on  charts. 

Do.  -     -    -    - 

16 

139 

Not  on  charts. 

Do.  Lowsons  - 

16  28 

143  30 

Do.  -    -    -    - 

17 

138 

Do.  Rees    -     - 

20 

167  30 

r-.^r    :  ...  .    -J  ;,j.    j 

Macy's  island,    - 

20  52 

178  47 

Elizabeth  island, 

21   06 

178  36 

>  On  chart  with  other  names. 

Eunice's  island,  - 

21  08 

178  47 

) 

Raratongo,inhab- 

21   17 

159  40 

(Omrute  island  (inhabited) 

ited. 

is  placed  on  the  charts  in 

Armstrong's  isl'd, 

21   21 

161  04 

lat.21°20/S.,  long.  160° 

inhabited. 

W.     No  doubt  the  same. 

Maria's  island,    - 

21   45 

155  10 

Not  on  chart. 

Oeno  island,  -     - 

23  57 

131  05 

Laid  down  on  the  charts  as 

discovered  by  Capt.  Bond, 

in  long.  131°  35X  W.— 

•  Oif  '-.  .    s 

Capt.  G.  B.  Worth  found 

it  in  23°  57'  S.,  131°  05' 

W.,  about  80  miles  N.W. 

by  N.  of  Pitcairn's  island, 

with  a  dangerous  reef  ex- 

tending from  the  S.  point. 

Elizabeth  island, 

24  06 

127  50 

By  others  24°  26X, 

' 

and  in  E.  long. 

Anderson's  isl'd, 

24  21 

128  30 

Probably  the  same  as  Eliza- 

beth island,placed  on  chart 

in  24°  30',  long.  128°. 

.Pilgrim's  island,  - 

24  40 

104  40 

Group      -     -    - 

25  12 

130  30 

If  this  group  exists,  it  must 

INDIAN      OCEAN. 


207 


ISLANDS      AND      REEFS, 

South 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

/...'    ^ 

be  a  few  miles  only  south 
of  Pitcairn's  island.  Very 

doubtful. 

Gwinn's  island,  - 

26°25' 

105030X 

Another   situation   for  Pil- 

grim's isFd.  —  Ya  de  Salas 

y  de  Gomes,  of  the  charts. 

Island,      -     -     - 

28  06 

95  12 

Not  on  charts.     Doubtful 

Group,     -     -     - 

31  06 

129  30 

Not  on  charts. 

Rock,       -     -     - 

51   51 

64  42 

Not  in  the  Pacific. 

Sidney's  island,  - 

4  29 

172  17 

See  p,  47,  where  it  is  placed 

in  4°  30',  and  171°  20". 

Cocoa-nut  island 

18  12 

174  15 

Not  on  chart.     If  correctly 

and  reef. 

placed,  must  be  between 

,  Amagura  and  the  Mayor- 

ga  islands.     See  chart. 

Mary     Balcout's 
islands. 

2  47 

171  58 

Surrounded  by  a  reef  twenty 
leagues  in  circumference, 

with  only  four  openings 

where  boats  can  enter. 

Bryon's  island,  - 

1   10 

175  40 

Placed  on  the  charts  in  1° 

W  S.,  and  177°   12X  E. 

A  reef  on  the  north  end, 

two  miles  distant. 

Island       -     -     - 

20 

167  30 

Clark's  reef,  -     - 

1   13 

159  45 

Island,      -     -     - 

21   29 

131   28 

Not  on  chart. 

Shoal,       -     -     - 

1    15 

159 

>  Very  near  Clark's  reef: 

Reef,  -    -     -     - 

1  32 

160 

$      probably  the  same. 

"J  Very  near  the  situation  of 

Island,      -     -     - 
French  island,    - 

11 
10  30 

162 

162  15 

1  Reirsons's&  Humphrey's 
Visl'ds.    See  p.  47,  and  also 

Francis'  island,  - 

10 

161  45 

account  given  by  Captain 

J  Coffin,  of  ship  Ganges. 

Reef,  -     -    -    - 

1   15 

159  42 

Clark's  reef.     See  above. 

Island,      T     -     - 

20 

157^30 

Island,      -     -     - 

20 

161   30 

Falcon's  island,  - 

21   17 

159  40 

A  large  island,  - 

19  56 

140  16 

Thirty  miles  north  and  south. 

Do.  round, 

18  36 

141  30 

An  island,  called  Sostanges, 

••*... 

about  36  miles  southwest- 

erly of  this,  is  placed  on 

208 


PACIFIC     AND 


ISLANDS     AND      REEFS. 

South 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

the  charts,  as  discovered 

in  1823. 

Starbuck's  island 

6°54' 

155°47X 

Phenix  island, 

2  35 

171  39 

"1  These  two  islands,  with 

small  and  sandy 

Mary  Balcout's  island, 

three   miles   in 

given  before,  in  nearly 

circumference. 

>     the  same  latitude  and 

Barney's  island,  a 

3  09 

171  41 

longitude,  are  probably 

lagoon,  20  miles 

the  same  as  Birney's 

in  circumf  ence 

J      island. 

Two  reefs,    -     - 

Bearing  N.  N.  E.  from  Kep- 

pel's  isl'd,  28  miles,  about 

a  cable's  length  apart. 

Independence  isl 

3  36 

144  35 

Not  on  charts. 

Sarah  Ann,    -     - 

4 

154  18 

Probably  the  same  as  Mal- 

done's  island,  placed  on 

charts  in  155°. 

FenuaLaosaOroa 

W.N.W. 

from 

Mopelia,  about  60  miles, 

Gardner's  island 

4°30' 

I74°22X 

Not  on  charts.    Discov'd  by 

Coffin's  island,   - 

31   13 

178  54 

Capt.  Coffin,ship  Ganges. 
Not  on  charts.    Discov'd  by 

Capt.  Coffin,  as  above. 

Ganges  island,   - 
Do. 

10  25 
10 

160  45 
161 

•\  Onch'ts.  Seen  by  C  apt.  C. 
1     Do.      See  Capt.  Cof- 
)      fin's  printed  account. 

South 

East 

latitude. 

longitude. 

[account. 

Nederlandich  isl. 

7°i6/ 

I77°33/ 

N"ot  on  charts.     See  printed 

Tracy's  island    - 

7  30 

178  45 

STot  on  charts. 

Mitchell's  group, 
Flasket's   island, 

9  06 
9  18 

179  48 
179  50 

3robably  one  of  Mitchell's 

Independence  isl. 

10  25 

179 

Not  on  charts.           [group. 

Island,      -     -     - 

10  45 

179  35 

Not  on  charts. 

Hunter's  islands, 

15  31 

176  11 

Reef,  &  160°  14', 

23  48 

164  14 

Do.    .... 

26  06 

160 

- 

Island,      -    -    - 

31   19 

160  42 

-      ,'.  ',  :-.      I 

Reef,  .... 

26  06 

160 

Repetition  of  reef  giv.  above. 

Do.    -    -    -    - 

21   15 

160 

INDIAN     OCEAN. 


209 


ISLANDS      AND      REEFS. 

South 

East 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Island,      -     -     - 

30°33' 

139°36/ 

Inland,  on  New  Holland. 

Moore's  island,  - 

30 

166  35 

See  page  47,  with  Spartan 

island  and  reef. 

An    island,   with 

froml°N. 

125  06 

[      V^  ^.r*''~  "'~ 

plenty  of  wood 

to2°S. 

I'5'.S'  &£.-    f-r   ••>    •  -    '  •    .     1 

and  water. 

;  #t-|&  •  !-  -••'?  ''•- 

Island,      -  .  -     - 

3Q°06/ 

144  24 

'     L...1    ~     • 

Do.  -     -     -     - 

29  31 

143 

Do.  -    -    -    - 

31 

155 

Lydne's  shoal,    - 

3  20 

146  50 

Ocean  island,     - 

41 

170  48 

'  1!  •     '• 

Do.        -    - 

2-30 

152  40 

Reef,  .... 

1  40 

159  30 

Do.  -    -     -    - 

8  30 

144  45 

South 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

T    *f*              j* 

Island,      -     -    - 

21°59/ 

131038' 

Do.  -    -  ^  5 

5  01 

*-;.w.        »)»••>        .  ^                   ^J>i" 

Sherdoff's  island, 

14  41 

144  59 

* 

Reef,  very  low,  - 

5  33 

170  50 

Island,      -     -     - 

4  45 

174  40 

Do.        .    .     - 

14   15 

138  47 

, 

Reef  and  island, 

14  57 

144  26 

Island,      -     -     - 

14  41 

144  59 

' 

Jarvis's  island,    - 

23 

160  15 

Maiden  island,    - 

3  59 

155 

Mante  island, 

20  08 

157  18 

Starbuck's  island, 

5  58 

155  58 

Island       -     -     - 

28  06 

94   12 

Do.  --.    - 

9  57 

149  30 

A  rock,    -    -    - 

Bearing  from  the  Diego  Ra- 

mirez, N.  73°  E.  30  miles. 

A  rock,    "     -     - 

31   24 

177  55 

Island  of  Oratoa, 

20  14 

159  45 

Well  inhabited. 

Island,      -  **-  "- 

19  56 

158   12 

Do.  -    -     -    - 

20 

157   15 

Rorotong  island, 
Remitara  island, 

23  06 
22  30 

157  55 
152  08 

"nhabited. 

27 

210 


PACIFIC     AND 


ISLANDS      AND      REEFS. 

South 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

i 

island       -    -     - 

15°50X 

155°05/ 

Do.  -    -    -    - 

8  35 

159  40 

Do.  -    -    -    - 

20 

156 

Do.  -    -    -.~-i 

20 

156  40 

Do.  -    T   .*  .  -- 

22  32 

152  09 

[159°  40'. 

Do.  -    - 

21   18 

159  36 

Probably  Falcon's,  21°  17', 

Do.  -    -    -    - 

21  28 

161 

North 

East 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Helicon's  island, 

22°28X 

177°05X 

Gasper  island,    - 

15 

176   18 

•  .'Vvj'*             ."  ;• 

Reef,  -     --- 

2  30 

153  50 

Island,      -     -     - 

21   15 

145  48 

Cooper's  island,  - 

21  48 

131  48 

Island, 

3 

144  24 

Rock,    ;'-'  •'.-  .'..- 

31  42 

136  29 

Island,      - 

30  33 

139  36 

Alleges  island,   - 

23  22 

120 

Island       -     -     - 

1  07 

155  10 

Do.  -    -    -  ... 

2  46 

154 

Do.  -    -••-,, 

5  18 

163  12 

••*>    V*    Y  •  "  '•^"  "'••••"'  ••  ';   '* 

Do.  .... 

8  54 

165  38 

Do.  -.-;*- 

17 

156  18 

Three  rocks,  -    - 

31   15 

153  40 

North 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Buckle's  island,  - 

28° 

178 

Island,      ... 

21 

176 

Golconda's  isl'd, 

54' 

132 

Island,      -     -     - 

1  06 

139  05' 

[wooded. 

Burick's,  -    -     - 

15  15 

146  46 

A  chain  of  islands  so  called  ; 

Islands,    -    -     - 

11   11 

190  09 

A  chain,  25  miles  fmN.  to  S. 

Ocean  island,     - 

28  25 

177  42 

Allen's  breakers, 

25  30 

170  30 

Island       -    -     - 

28  05 

95  12 

Mellish's  bank,  - 

34  25 

181   31 

64  fathoms.               -  i.iP 

Cloud's  island,  - 

19  46 

115 

Lassion's  island  - 

26  02 

173  35 

INDIAN     OCEAN. 


211 


ISLANDS      AND      REEFS. 

North 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Island,  low,  -     - 

KPOS7 

189°04/ 

3  miles  in  length. 

Group,     largest 

9  28 

189  44 

Oteda. 

,.;.  |       ,".•••  »'•  '• 

Island,      -     -     - 

4  44 

163  39 

New  island,  -     - 

19 

133 

i 

Wreck  reef,  -     - 

16  49 

169  40 

Island,    -  -   \    - 

30 

178  30 

'    ;          „                           ' 

Do.  -     -  ;Ci- 

16  30 

169  45 

^       '                                                                ' 

North 

East 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Massachusetts 

30° 

178°3W 

Mentioned  in  three  or  four 

island. 

other   places,   differently 

Island,      -     -     - 

20  207 

155  24 

situated. 

Reef,-     -   'i-'   - 

31  4£ 

141 

*  V  '  •*!**"*  %•'•*•  '.' 

Three    >  from    - 

25  sa 

145  28 

'-•"•    ''U.r,'t   ?! 

islands,  J  to  -     - 

36  30 

158 

Guardian  isl'ds,  3, 

22  30 

350  miles  N.  E.  of  Ono. 

Incarnation      of 

N.  N.  W.  from  Pitcairn's  isl- 

Quiros. 

and,  distant  90  miles. 

Henderson's  isl'd, 

110  miles  E.  of  Pitcairn's 

island,  and  7  miles  S. 

Bowen's  islands, 

26  44 

143  20 

Dangerous. 

Group    of   small 

4  43 

169 

In  form  of  a  horse-shoe,  open 

low  islands. 

at  the  N.  N.  E.  side,  with  a 

harbour,  8  or  1  0  miles  over 

in  the  middle  of  the  chain. 

Group  of  low  isl- 

8 03 

166  15 

Covered  with  wood,  and  sur- 

ands. 

rounded  with  rocks  and 

South 

West 

reefs  j  inhabited.  , 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Ellis'  group  of  isl. 
Depeyster's  isFd, 

8°27X 
8  05 

11H°04/ 
181  45 

i                                    . 

Island,      -     -     - 

1  14  15 

138  47 

RomanzofFs  isl'd, 

14  57 

144  28 

Island,  small, 

26  40 

104 

Island,      -     -     - 

26  32 

1  03  59    Low,  rocky,  barren  ;  two  and 

I     a  half  miles  long  by  two  in 

1     width,  with  a  deep  bay. 

212  PACIFIC     AND 

Captain  Edmund  Gardner,  of  New  Bedford,  having  visited  the 
Pacific  ocean  (both  North  and  South)  several  times,  gave  his 
opinion  as  to  the  coasts  and  islands  which  it  would  seem  more 
immediately  necessary  to  explore  and  survey,  viz. : — 

CALIFORNIA. 

This  coast  has  been  very  imperfectly  surveyed,  particularly 
from  Ceros  island,  south,  to  the  end  of  the  peninsula.  From 
Ceros  island,  north,  was  partially  surveyed  by  Vancouver.  There 
are,  however,  many  bays,  harbours,  islands,  and  reefs,  that  were 
not  laid  down  by  him.  There  has  lately  been  a  reef  discovered 
by  Captain  Pease,  of  the  ship  Hesper,  of  this  port,  in  lat.  32°  34' 
N.,  long.  119°  34'  W.,  which  was  not  seen  till  the  ship  was 
passing  over  one  end  of  it.  It  was  seen  from  the  mast-head, 
nearly  under  the  ship.  They  sounded  on  it,  and  found  from  two 
and  a  half  to  sixteen  fathoms. 

Northwest  to  westnorthwest  from  the  Sandwich  islands,  (a 
track  much  frequented  by  our  whaling-ships,)  there  are  a  number 
of  islands  and  reefs  but  imperfectly  known.  In  this  direction 
three  ships  have  been  lost,  viz.:  Two  Brothers,  of  Nantucket, 
and  Hermes  and:  Pearl  of  London.  He  should  consider  this 
track  one  of  the  first  that  should  be  explored. 

The  next  that  would  call  the  attention  of  the  expedition  would, 
in  his  opinion,  be  a  track,  north  and  west — perhaps  more  north 
than  west — from  the  Ladrone  islands  to  the  islands  of  Japan,  a 
chain  of  islands  extending  nearly  across  in  this  direction,  and  the 
true  situation  of  which  is  very  little  known. 

Southsouthwest  from  South  island,  near  the  coast  of  Japan, 
<Captain  Clark,  of  the  bark  Elizabeth,  of  New  Bedford,  discovered 
a  reef,  lat.  31°  45'  N.,  long.  137°  5(X  E.,  The  Sisters,  of  London, 
in  company  at  the  time. 

A  rock,  called  the  Haystack,  said  to  lie  in  lat.  29°  58'  N., 
long.  137°  50'  E.,  has  also  been  recently  discovered.  The  lati- 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  213 

tude  is  possibly  correct;  the  longitude  is  given  differently  by 
different  navigators. 

Extracts  from  the  Log-book  of  Captain  George  Rule,  of  Nantucket. 

Made  an  island  he  discovered  in  1823,  and  named  it 

Lydra  island,  lat.  11°  48'  S.,  long.  164°  47'  W.  No  inhabitants; 
plenty  of.  wood  and  fish,  but  no  water  that  he  could  find ;  not  laid 
down  in  any  chart  they  had ;  one  and  a  half  miles  southsoutheast 
to  northnorthwest  in  extent;  a  reef  around  it  one  hundred  rods 
from  shore ;  no  bottom  one  hundred  yards  from  the  reef. 

,  1824.  Made  Friends'  rock,  bearing  half  compass  west 

half  south,  distance  four  leagues  from  above,  at  one  A.  M.  At 
noon  it  bore  south,  distant  twelve  miles,  lat.  31°  23'  S.  Next 
day,  discovered  a  reef,  upon  which  the  sea  breaks  high,  at  first 
thought  to  be  whales  breathing.  It  bears  from  the  Friends'  rock 
northwest,  distance  about  four  leagues.  Latitude  of  reef,  31°  ISi'; 
the  day  previous,  the  longitude,  by  chronometer,  177°  50'  W. 

Bonin  islands  have  had  a  place  on  the  charts  for  some  time ; 
but  little — indeed,  nothing — was  known  of  them,  except  that  land 
had  been  reported  in  that  neighbourhood,  and  some  mapmaker 
put  it  down  on  his  charts.  They  are  regarded  as  new  discoveries 
in  Nantucket,  made  by  Captain  Coffin,  12th  September,  1824, 
while  he  commanded  the  ship  Transit,  from  Bristol.  There  is  a 
freshness  in  the  account  he  gives  of  them  that  is  really  interesting; 
and  he  may,  with  some  justice,  claim  the  honour  of  the  discovery, 
as  they  were  not  laid  down  on  his  charts.  He  found  the  group  to 
consist  of  six  islands,  besides  a  number  of  large  rocks  and  reefs. 
Captain  Coffin  sailed  in  the  employ  of  Fisher,  Kidd,  and  Fisher; 
and,  in  honour  of  his  employers,  called  two  of  the  islands  by  their 
names,  the  largest  of  which  is  four  leagues  in  length.  The  one 
most  southern  of  the  group  he  called  South  island ;  and  the  fourth, 
from  the  great  number  of  pigeons  he  found  on  it,  he  named  Pigeon 


214  PACIFIC     AND 

island.  About  four  miles  eastnortheast  of  South  island,  lie  two 
round  high  islands,  to  which  he  gave  no  names.  Fisher's  island 
lies  from  southsoutheast  to  northnorthwest,  and  Kidd  island,  the 
most  western  of  the  group,  lies  southeast  from  the  northwest  part 
of  Fisher's  island.  Between  the  two  last-mentioned  islands  there 
is  a  beautiful  clear  bay,  two  miles  wide,  and  five  miles  up  to  the 
head.  Captain  Coffin  sailed  up  this  bay  about  four  miles,  where 
he  found  a  fine  small  bay,  where  he  anchored  his  ship ;  and,  as 
he  remarks,  there  is  some  justice  due  one's  self,  called  it  Coffin's 
harbour.  This  harbour  is  sheltered  from  all  winds,  except  from 
westsouthwest,  and  a  vessel  will  ride  with  as  much  safety  as  in 
Hampton  roads,  with  no  current  or  swell.  Captain  Coffin  took 
fifty  tons  of  water  on  board,  of  the  purest  kind,  with  a  supply  of 
wood,  both  of  these  essentials  being  in  any  abundance,  and  more 
easily  procured  than  at  any  other  place  he  was  at.  Turtle  and 
pigeons  were  so  plenty,  that  any  number  could  be  obtained.  The 
water  in  the  bay  was  stored  with  a  variety  of  fish,  and  with  plenty 
of  choice  lobsters,  and  the  cabbage-tree  was  among  the  productions 
of  the  island,  so  that  any  desirable  quantity  might  be  easily  pro- 
cured. Captain  Coffin  did  not  discover  any  quadruped,  reptile, 
or  insect,  not  even  an  ant.  The  islands  are  covered  with  large 
and  beautiful  forest-trees,  but  not  a  single  mark,  even  of  a  knife, 
could  be  traced  upon  one  of  them  ;  nor  did  it  appear  that  the  foot- 
steps of  man  had  ever  been  imprinted  on  any  of  these  islands. 
For  whale-ships,  or  those  bound  from  Canton  to  Port  Jackson,  or 
the  northwest  coast  of  America,  they  will  furnish  a  valuable  place 
of  refreshment.  They  are  about  south  of  Sandown  point,  on  the 
coast  of  Japan,  and  the  distance  may  be  sailed  in  four  days. 
The  bay  where  Captain  Coffin  anchored  is  in  latitude  26°  3(X 
north,  longitude  141°  east. 

In  the  year  1825,  the  same  captain,  and  while  on  the  same 
cruise,  discovered,  in  latitude  27°  north,  longitude  141°  1CK  east, 
a  high  island,  well  wooded,  from  the  west  side  of  which  he  pro- 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  215 

cured  good  turtle  and  wood.  Six  leagues  north  of  this,  he  discov- 
ered a  high  lump  of  an  island,  and  many  small  ones  near  it,  with 
a  dangerous  reef  extending  from  one  island  to  the  other,  and,  as 
far  as  to  latitude,  28°  north.  These  islands  and  reef  were  not 
laid  down  on  his  charts.  The  navigation  of  the  ocean  around, 
and  particularly  north  of  this  group,  is  dangerous,  from  our  imper- 
fect knowledge  of  it. 

From  many  inquiries  made  of  Captain  Macy,  about  the  Loo- 
Choo  island,  I  am  of  opinion  it  will  be  found  well  worthy  of  more 
minute  examination.  It  is  situated  in  north  latitude  26°,  and  125° 
east  longitude ;  is  well  cultivated ;  and  all  kinds  of  refreshments 
may  be  procured,  and  a  good  harbour  will  probably  be  found  on 
the  southwest  part.  The  inhabitants  are  peaceable,  and  seem 
disposed  to  form  acquaintance,  and  establish  a  friendly  intercourse 
with  foreigners.  Vessels  have  seldom  stopped  at  this  island,  and 
the  world  is  yet  ignorant  of  its  inhabitants,  their  peculiarities, 
&c.,  except  what  information  may  be  found  in  Captain  Hall's 
book,  royal  navy. 

Monmouth  island,  one  of  the  Baske  isles,  is  thickly  inhabited, 
and  well  stocked  with  all  kinds  of  provisions  common  to  the 
islands  in  those  latitudes.  It  affords  good  anchorage  on  the  north- 
east part.  The  people  on  this  island  wear  the  Chinese  costume, 
and  appear  very  friendly,  and  anxious  to  trade  with  strangers. 
The  island  abounds  with  sheep ;  and  there  are  many  islands  in  its 
neighbourhood,  of  more  or  less  importance. 

A  cluster  of  islands,  said  to  have  been- discovered  in  1716,  and 
laid  down  on  most  charts  in  latitude  35°  north,  and  longitude  146° 
east,  is  now  considered  of  doubtful  existence.  By  Captain  Coffin's 
log-book,  he  has  frequ^ntlv__sailed  and  whaled  over  the  very  spot, 
without  being  able  to  see  them  from  the  mast-head. 

The  natives  of  "  New  islands,"  and  the  surrounding  groups,  are 
generally  well  disposed,  and  willing  to  barter  in  all  the  production? 
of  the  islands.  The  group  of  islands  between  Francisco  and  Jida 


216  PACIFIC     AND 

should  be  more  attentively  examined.  Several  of  them  are  well 
peopled,  and  the  inhabitants,  like  the  Japanese,  are  reserved,  and 
distrustful  of  strangers.  From  the  southeast  part  of  New  islands, 
there  is  a  small  island,  well  inhabited  with  curly-haired  people, 
who  appeared  a  warlike  race.  This  island  affords  a  good  harbour, 
and  probably  abounds  with  biche-le-mer. 

Captain  RichardJVIacy,  of  Nan  tucket,  a  very  intelligent  man, 
has  long  been  engaged  in  the  whale-fishery,  and  has  shown  more 
than  usual  skill  in  his  observations,  as  well  in  noting  the  facts  he 
has  seen,  as  in  taking  a  great  many  sketches  of  islands,  reefs, 
harbours,  coasts,  &c.,  which  will  be  found  very  useful  to  the 
expedition.  Captain  Macy  discovered  an  island  four  or  five  miles 
in  extent,  in  south  latitude  59°,  and  west  longitude  91°,  his  ship 
passing  near  enough  to  see  the  breakers.  The  island  abounded 
with  sea-dogs,  or  seals,  and  the  water  was  much  coloured,  and 
thick  with  rockweed.  While  crossing  the  Pacific,  on  a  return 
voyage,  he  passed  between  the  latitudes  50°  and  55°  south,  and 
found  the  water  much  coloured,  abounding  with  rockweed  and 
seals — conclusive  indications  that  land  was  near;  but  he  could 
not  stop  to  make  any  researches.  He  mentions  the  following 
islands,  reefs,  and  shoals,  as  deserving  particular  attention :  some 
of  them,  it  is  true,  are  laid  down  on  the  charts,  some  are  not,  and 
all  require  nearly  the  same  examination.  It  is  not  at  all  surprising 
that  the  positions  of  these  islands  are  not  well  defined.  Their 
places  were  often  given  from  observations,  without  making  any 
allowance  for  refraction,  and  from  the  run  of  the  log,  without 
knowing  or  stopping  to  ascertain  the  direction  and  velocity  of 
currents.  One  island,  without  any  name,  in  15°  45'  south,  and 
longitude  154°  15'  west;  one  16°  south,  139°  west,  not  well 
known;  another  island,  17°  south  and  138°  west,  not  named; 
one  island  not  laid  down  on  any  of  the  charts,  nor  published  in 
any  list  of  newly-discovered  islands,  lies  in  16°  south,  and 
143°  west. 


INDIAN      OCEAN.  217 

Phillip's  island,  discovered  on  his  late  passage,  mil0  20'  south, 
and  148°  50'  west,  is  very  low  and  dangerous,  and  cannot  be  seen 
but  at  a  short  distance ;  lying  in  the  track  of  our  homeward-bound 
ships,  between  the  Sandwich  and  Society  islands.  A  few  small 
shrubs  and  trees  are  on  this  island,  but  no  inhabitants. 

In  latitude  5°  30X  south,  and  longitude  155°  507  west,  an  island 
was  discovered  in  1826,  and  about  five  miles  in  length.  It  lies 
low  in  the  water,  and  presents  a  coast  as  dangerous  as  a  reef,  as 
it  cannot  be  seen  any  distance.  This  island  could  not  be  found 
on  any  charts,  and  is  a  new  and  interesting  discovery,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  an  island  dangerous  to  vessels,  if  not  well  known. 

There  are  some  rocks,  and  a  dangerous  reef,  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  190°  50X  south,  and  167°  30'  west. 

In  June,  1 825,  an  island  was  discovered,  northwest  from  the 
Fejee  islands,  in  latitude  15°  30'  south,  and  longitude  175°  3(X 
east.  This  island  is  not  placed  on  any  of  the  charts,  is  well 
inhabited,  abounds  in  yams,  and  the  natives  are  very  friendly. 

The  island  Rotunah  is  situated  in  about  12°  south.  This  island 
has  long  been  known,  and  deserves  attention,  as  a  place  where  all 
refreshments  known  to  the  South  seas  can  easily  be  procured. 

Due  west  from  this  island,  and  about  15°  south,  there  is  a  dan- 
gerous reef.  Its  extent  and  bearing  is  unknown,  and  it  requires 
further  attention. 

Duke  of  York's  island  is  laid  down  on  the  charts  in  8°  30' 
south,  and  is  said  to  be  uninhabited.  Captain  Macy  says  he 
saw  natives  on  it.  This  point  should  be  settled,  and  I  venture 
the  prediction  that  the  whaler  is  correct.  The  island  contains 
refreshments. 

Savage  island.  The  natives  are  warlike ;  great  caution  neces- 
sary in  landing. 

Wytootach  and  Navigator's  islands  all  contain  refreshments, 
abound  in  hogs,  and  the  natives  are  noted  for  their  passionate 
fondness  for  large  blue  beads. 

K  28 


218  PACIFIC     AND 

There  is  an  island  sixty  miles  west  from  the  above,  and  also  a 
reef,  the  former  not  inhabited,  nor  laid  down  on  the  charts. 

Some  islands  have  lately  been  discovered,  extending  from  169° 
to  172°  east,  and  from  30°  to  1°  south.  These  are  not  named, 
nor  placed  on  any  chart,  nor  included  in  any  list  of  newly-dis- 
covered islands. 

I  In  the  year  1827,  Captain  Macy  discovered  a  small  group  of 
islands  in  latitude  6°  north,  and  153°  east.  This  group  he  called 
by  the  name  of  the  ship  he  commanded,  the  Harvest.  The  islands 
are  all  enclosed  by  a  reef,  and  abound  in  trees.  He  did  not  land, 
nor  does  he  know  if  they  are  inhabited. 

In  latitude  9°  north,  and  from  150°  30'  to  152°  east,  there  is  a 
chain  of  islands,  fifteen  in  number.  Some  of  them  are  ten  miles 
apart,  but  are  enclosed  by  one  reef,  ninety  miles  in  extent.  These 
islands  are  low  and  beautiful,  entirely  covered  with  cocoanut-trees. 
He  did  not  land,  but  thinks  them  inhabited. 

Captain  Macy  visited  another  group  of  islands,  in  7°  40'  north, 
longitude  144°  east.  Some  of  them  are  well  inhabited,  but  not 
marked  on  the  charts. 

St.  Andrew's  islands,  per  charts,  are  sixty  miles  out  of  the  way. 
Laid  down  5°  20'  north  latitude,  131°  20X  east  longitude.  True 
position,  5°  20'  north  latitude,  132°  20'  east  longitude. 
I  Disappointment  island  is  placed  on  the  charts  in  latitude  27° 
30'  north,  longitude  139°  2(X  east.  True  position,  27°  30X  north 
latitude,  139°  55'  east  longitude. 

Armstrong's  island  was  discovered  in  1 824,  and  is  situated  in 
latitude  21°  21'  south,  and  longitude  161°  04'  west.  This  island 
is  fertile,  well  peopled,  and  affords  a  good  anchorage  to  the  north, 
and  abounds  in  refreshments.  The  natives  had  never  been  visited 
before,  nor  had  they  any  knowledge  of  civilized  people.  They 
were  timid,  and  much  alarmed  at  the  approach  of  the  vessels, 
showing  no  hostile  appearances.  The  captain  landed  with  a  boat, 
when  the  fears  of  the  natives  soon  subsided,  and  they  gathered 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  219 

round  him  in  great  numbers.  They  would  not  allow  him  to  move 
or  walk  a  step,  but  carried  him  wherever  he  wished  to  go.  They 
regarded  him  as  a  superior  grade  of  being,  and  paid  him  every 
homage  they  knew  how.  The  number  of  inhabitants  is  unknown, 
and  the  island  has  never  been  visited  since  its  discovery. 

In  Captain  Macy's  last  voyage  but  one,  he  discovered  a  group 
of  islands,  eleven  in  number.  They  are  many  miles  apart,  and 
all  surrounded  by  a  coral  reef,  situated  in  9°  north,  and  164°  4CK 
east.  Several  of  them  are  well  inhabited  by  dark  and  savage- 
looking  fellows,  although  they  behaved  very  well,  came  off  in 
their  boats,  and  bartered  cocoanuts.  Captain  Macy  did  not  land, 
nor  is  it  probable  the  island  has  ever  been  landed  on  by  any  other 
ship's  crew.  The  reef  enclosing  the  group  is  very  dangerous, 
extending,  in  some  places,  fifteen  miles  from  the  land. 

Broom's  range  affords  a  good  place  for  wooding. 

Lord  Howe's  group  is  inaccurately  laid  down. 

There  is  a  bank,  latitude  36°  north,  longitude  179°  east,  on 
which  some  whalers  have  sounded,  but  no  one  knows  its  extent 
and  bearings. 

Captain^  Coffin,  as  stated  by  Captain  Macy,  discovered  a  reef  I 
in  latitude  32°  north,  and  longitude  140°  east. 

Sixty  miles  southwest  from  Ohituo  is  a  newly-discovered  island, 
thickly  inhabited  by  very  friendly  natives.  Refreshments  may  be 
procured  at  it  in  any  quantity,  and  good  anchorage  found. 

The  same  captain,  in  the  year  1824,  discovered  a  group,  con- 
sisting of  three  islands,  in  latitude  21°  north,  longitude  179°  west. 
The  islands  are  ten  miles  apart :  many  inhabitants  are  seen  on 
them ;  but  he  did  not  land  or  hold  any  communication  with  them, 
nor  is  it  probable  they  were  ever  visited. 

Ceno  island,  in  23°  507  south,  130a  15'  west,  not  laid  down  on 
the  charts,  unless  it  be  on  some  of  the  late  editions. 

A  group  of  islands,  in  latitude  31°  06' north,  and  longitude  129° 
30'  east,  is  not  accurate  on  the  charts,  and  the  islands  are  not  named. 


220  PACIFIC     AND 

A  number  of  reefs,  situated  about  27°  south,  and  longitude 
160°  east,  are  dangerous,  and  should  be  examined.  One  more  in 
24°  south,  and  164°  30X  east.  A  dangerous  rock  somewhere 
about  27°  30X  south,  and  longitude  130°  30X  east. 

From  the  Marquesas  to  20°  south,  and  to  at  least  20°  north, 
and  from  150°  west  to  150°  east,  is  a  portion  of  the  globe  where 
all  our  intelligent  captains  of  whale-ships  agree  many  important 
discoveries  may  yet  be  made.  Within  these  limits,  there  are 
many  islands,  reefs,  and  shoals,  not  discovered,  and  many  but 
partially  known. 

Captain  John  Gardner,  of  the  ship  Atlantic,  reports  the  following 
discoveries,  which  he  made  while  on  his  last  voyage  in  the  Pacific : — 

The  first  island,  in  north  latitude  8°  48X,  longitude  144°  35X  E. 

The  second  do.  do.  1°  07',         do.      165°  00  E. 

The  third     do.     a  cluster,  S.  lat.  2°  15X         do.      152°  05X  E. 

Also,  a  cluster  of  reefs  and  shoals,  extending  northnortheast 
and  southsoutjiwest,  between  the  latitudes  of  1°  35X  and  2°  15X 
south,  and  longitude  153°  45X  and  153°  15X  east. 

John  Weeks,  second  officer,  saw  an  island  in  2°  north,  longitude 
1 150°  east,  one  mile  long,  surrounded  by  a  coral  reef  six  miles  from 
'shore.  This  island  is  low,  and  abounds  in  cocoanuts. 

Captain  George  Washington  Gardner  discovered  the  following 
islands,  &c.,  which  are  not  laid  down  on  any  of  the  charts  : — 
An  island,  north  latitude  30°  00X,  east  longitude  144°  00X. 


One  do. 

do. 

39 

dO.,";^ 

39 

One  do. 

do. 

30 

do. 

44  20 

Rocks, 

do. 

31 

do. 

155 

An  island, 

do. 

37 

do. 

On  the  coast  of  New  Albion : — 

An  island,  north  latitude  33°  00X,  west  longitude  119°  30'. 
Do.  do.  21°  55  do.  155    10. 

Maria  island,  not  on  the  charts,  abounds  with  fish  and  wood, 
but  no  water ;  is  low  and  dangerous. 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  221 

A  rock,  in  latitude  20°  south,  longitude  167°  45'  west,  not  on 
charts  nor  any  published  list;  dangerous  shoals  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. 

Palmyra  island  is  in  5°  58'  north,  and  162°  30'  west  longi- 
tude. There  is  a  dangerous  reef  thirty  miles  north,  extending 
eastnortheast  and  westnorthwest,  very  narrow,  and  fifteen  miles 
in  length. 

Captain  R.  Joy,  of  Nantucket,  reports  a  harbour  in  latitude 
45°  south,  in  West  Patagonia,  in  which  he  found  good  and  safe 
anchorage.  By  proper  surveys,  he  thinks  it  might  be  made  a 
place  of  refreshments  for  our  whale-ships. 

I  have  generally  remarked  that  all  our  seamen  who  have  had 
occasion  to  touch  at  any  point  on  the  west  of  Patagonia,  agree 
that  the  coast  should  be  surveyed  from  Cape  Horn  to  Cape 
Pilares.  They  have  often  been  sealing  on  the  islands  around  this 
coast,  and  all  agree  that  very  little  reliance  can  be  placed,  by  the 
mariner,  in  the  accuracy  of  the  charts  in  common  use.  The 
shores,  in  many  places,  are  so  bold,  that  a  vessel  may  be  made 
fast  to  the  trees  growing  on  the  land. 

Sidney's  islands  vary,  on  different  charts,  from  4°  50'  to  5°  30'. 
The  northernmost  is  in  latitude  3°,  and  longitude,  according  to 
Arrowsmith's  charts,  176°  50'.  The  islands  are  very  numerous ; 
some  are  very  small,  from  two  to  three  acres ;  others  larger,  and 
one  twenty  miles  in  extent. 

Again,  the  captains  who  have  visited  Tanning's  island,  say  it 
affords  a  good  harbour,  of  four  or  five  fathoms  water,  and  abounds 
in  wood  and  water,  both  easily  procured.  The  island  is  found, 
by  charts,  in  latitude  3°  48'  north,  and  longitude  158°  40'  west. 
Good  fish  in  the  harbour  and  around  the  island,  and  peppergrass 
on  the  island,  good  for  the  scurvy. 

The  Kingsmills  group,  lying  1°  south,  and  175°  30'  east,  con- 
sists of  a  number  of  beautiful  islands,  all  thickly  inhabited.  A 
steady  current  sets  westerly  from  this  group. 


222  PACIFIC     AND 

Captain  Joy  discovered  a  barren  island  and  a  reef  in  23°  north, 
and  177°  15X  west,  which  has  never  been  surveyed. 

Wake's  island,  mentioned  in  the  above  list,  in  19°  20'  north, 
and  166°  50'  east,  affords  wood  in  abundance;  no  water  discov- 
ered on  it,  but  probably  may  be  found  by  examining  the  island. 

In  1825  there  was  an  island  discovered  by  the  captain  of  the 
ship  Spartan,  which  bears  the  name  of  the  ship,  (of  Nantucket.) 
It  lies  low  in  the  water,  and  is  in  latitude  1°  10'  south,  and 
159°  30'  east. 

In  latitude  1°  30'  south,  and  longitude  166°  35'  east,  there  is 
an  island  lately  discovered.  It  lies  high,  is  well  watered,  and  is 
called  Morris's  island.  This  island  lies  near  the  track  of  Captain 
Butler,  in  1794,  and  is  southwest  from  Pleasant  island. 

An  American  gentleman,  in  a  letter  from  Valparaiso,  dated  the 
10th  of  April,  1828,  to  the  editor  of  the  Salem  Register,  gives  an 
account  of  an  island  which  he  considers  a  new  discovery.  In 
this  supposition  he  is  correct;  but  it  was  first  discovered  by 
Captain  Ray,  of  Nantucket,  in  the  year  1825.  It  }ies  in  26°  32' 
south,  and  longitude  103°  59/  west.  The  nearest  land  to  it  is 
Easter  island,  in  latitude  27°  south,  and  longitude  109°  46'  west. 

Captain  R.  Closly  says  he  never  saw  but  one  island  inhabited, 
and  not  laid  down  on  his  chart ;  and  this  was  in  latitude  8°  03' 
north,  and  166°  15'  east.  It  is  a  small  low  island,  covered  with 
wood,  and  is  not  to  be,  found  on  Purdy's  large  and  late  edition  of 
charts  of  the  world,  published  in  1827. 

In  latitude  10°  30'  north,  and  east  longitude  166°  4(X,  the  same 
captain  discovered  a  large  group  of  islands,  surrounded  by  many 
insulated  rocks  and  reefs,  and  no  inhabitants. 

Captain  Worth  informed  me  that  Origan  island,  found  on  all  the 
charts  north  by  west  of  the  Ladrones,  is  worthy  ,of  some  notice. 
Fresh  water  may  be  had  at  it  by  digging  wells  near  the  southwest 
side  of  the  island,  within  a  few  feet  of  the  beach.  Plenty  of  fire- 
wood, of  good  quality,  may  be  had.  Natural  productions,  cocoa- 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  223 

nuts,  bread-fruit,  yams,  &c.,  are  found.  There  is  no  sounding 
until  near  the  shore;  but,  in  case  of  necessity,  a  vessel  may 
anchor*  in  from  twelve  to  fifty  fathoms  water :  dark-gray  sand  on 
the  southwest  side.  There  is  a  volcano  in  the  middle  of  the  island. 

Captain  Bennett  laid  down  an  island  in  5°  30'  north,  longitude 
139°  20X  west.  This  is  near  Fanning's  island.  He  called  it 
Madison  island. 

St.  Pert's  island.  Against  the  name  of  this  island,  Captain 
Bennett  has  marked  in  his  log-book,  "wood  and  water."  Its 
position  is  18°  north,  longitude  116°  west. 

Captain  Brigs  discovered  an  island  west  and  north  of  Sandwich 
islands,  in  25°  47/  north,  longitude  172°  west.  The  island  is  low, 
with  not  more  than  sixty  feet,  in  any  part,  from  the  water:  three 
miles  long,  and  two  across  it. 

Captain  Edward  Gardner,  while  in  command  of  the  whale-ship 
Bellona,  discovered  an  island,  in  1823,  in  latitude  19°  15'  north, 
longitude  166°  32'  east,  which  he  judged  was  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  miles  long.  A  reef  appeared  to  make  off  from  the  east  end 
of  it,  to  the  distance  of  two  miles,  with  detached  rocks  to  the 
west.  The  situation  given  is  from  the  centre  of  the  island. 
"  Wake's  island"  is  placed  on  Arrowsmith's  and  other  charts 
nearly  in  the  above  situation.  The  island  was  covered  with 
wood,  having  a  very  green  and  rural  appearance. 

The  island  to  which  Captain  Seely  proposes  to  give  the  name 
of  Beverly  island,  was  probably  not,  as  he  supposed,  a  new  dis- 
covery. On  Purdy's  smaller  charts  of  the  world,  published  in 
1821,  as  well  as  on  the  previous  edition  of  that  chart,  an  island  is 
laid  down  in  18°  30'  north,  longitude  113°  30X  west,  to  which  he 
gives  the  name  of  "  St.  Rosa ;"  and  though  the  longitude  differs 
considerably,  I  am  disposed  to  believe  it  is  the  island  Captain  S. 
describes.  It  is  not  laid  down  on  Arrowsmith's  charts  ;  and  it  is 
a  little  remarkable  that,  in  Purdy's  edition  of  his  large  chart,  pub- 
lished in  1821,  and  improved  in  1825,  it  is  not  to  be  found,  nor 


224  PACIFIC     AND 

has  Bowditch  any  reference  to  it  in  his  tables  of  latitudes  and 
longitudes.  The  island  has  been  seen  by  some  others  of  our 
whalemen  who  have  cruised  in  that  neighbourhood ;  and  Captain 
Swain,  late  of  the  ship  Charles,  ran  near  it,  and  made  the  longi- 
tude 113°  30'  west,  the  same  as  given  in  Purdy's  former  maps. 

On  some  old  charts  I  perceived  an  island  laid  down  in  the  same 
parallel  of  latitude,  and  about  120°  west  longitude,  but  which  is 
not  found  in  the  best  modern  charts. 

Captain  Swain,  while  passing  from  Sandwich  islands  to  Cape 
Horn,  ran  farther  south  than  usual  for  whale-ships,  and  discovered 
an  island  in  latitude  59°  south,  and  longitude  90°  west,  covered 
with  snow,  and  abounding  with  sea-dogs  and  fowl.  This  .must 
be  the  same  island  discovered  by  Captain  Macy,  an  account  of 
which  is  given  before ;  and  this  is  only  introduced  to  show  how 
practical  men  tell  their  plain  stories,  and,  without  any  previous 
concert,  confirm  each  other. 

Captain  H.  Bunker,  in  1823,  discovered  an  island  in  15°  3(X 
north,  and  136°  west  longitude.  Lying  to  windward,  and  it 
blowing  strong,  he  could  not  get  to  it  to  make  any  observations. 

In  the  same  year  he  landed  on  an  island  in  24°  22'  north, 
longitude  153°  18'  east,  by  reckoning,  not  being  able  to  make 
an  observation  that  day;  nor  has  he  visited  or  heard  of  the 
island  since. 

Captain  H.  C.  Bunker,  about  three  years  ago,  discovered  an 
island  not  on  his  charts;  it  is  called  by  the  natives  Pearotuah, 
is  three  miles  from  east  to  west,  about  twenty  miles  in  circum- 
ference, high,  mountainous,  rocky,  and  rugged,  free  from  all 
dangers  around  it,  with  two  boat-harbours,  one  northwest  of  the 
other,  on  the  northwest  side ;  the  land  productive.  The  mission- 
aries had  visited  it,  and  Mr.  Williams  was  on  it  at  the  time. 
The  natives  are  estimated  at  five  thousand  in  number.  It  is  in 
latitude  21°  17'  south,  and  longitude  159°  40'  west.  There  is 
no  trace  of  this  island  on  Purdy's  charts  to  the  latest  editions 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  225 

Captain  S.  Chase,  of  Nantucket,  on  one  of  his  late  voyages,  fell 
in  with  a  canoe  containing  a  number  of  natives,  S.  S.  W.  from  the 
Kings-mills  group.  They  had  lost  their  track,  but  pointed  in  the 
direction  they  thought  they  came  from.  Captain  Chase  steered 
to  that  point,  and  found  the  island  where  they  belonged.  O 
going  ashore,  the  islanders  gathered  round  them  in  great  numbers, 
and  conducted  Captain  Chase  to  the  residence  of  their  chief,  who 
treated  him  with  great  kindness,  and  loaded  his  boat  with  fresh 
provisions.  Captain  Chase  is  of  opinion  that  the  island  had  never 
been  visited  before,  and  states  it  to  be  a  good  place  for  recruiting. 
The  latitude  and  longitude  are  not  given^  nor  have  I  been  able  to 
find  them  among  any  of  the  records  in  Nantucket ;  the  captain,  al 
present  being  on  a  whaling  voyage  in  the  Pacific. 

Penrhyn's  island.  On  Arrowsmith's  charts  this  island  is  laid 
down  in  lat.  9°  14'  S.  long.  167°  48'  W.,  which,  by  a  comparison 
with  Captain  Alexander  Macy's  journal,  kept  during  his  late  voy- 
age in  the  ship  Peruvian,  is  probably  erroneously  given  on  the 
charts,  or  Captain  Macy  has  discovered  a  new  island. 

On  the  21st  of  July,  1827,  Captain  Macy  discovered  land,  bear- 
ing from  W.  S.  W.  to  S.  by  W.  12  miles  distant,  his  ship  then 
heading  S.  by  E.  On  the  following  day  he  saw  two  other  islands, 
or  prominent  parts  of  the  island  seen  the  day  before,  with  valleys 
intervening,  (which  was  probably  the  fact,  as  no  water  could  be 
perceived  between  them,)  lying  to  the  S.  and  W.,  the  nearest  part 
at  four  miles  distance.  This  island  was  well  wooded,  and  found 
to  be  inhabited.  At  3  P.  M.  a  canoe  with  five  natives,  of  large 
stature  and  ferocious  countenances,  well  armed  with  spears  and 
clubs,  came  under  the  stern  of  the  Peruvian,  and  remained  there 
nearly  an  hour.  Soon  after,  many  other  canoes  were  at  the  lee- 
ward, paddling  in  a  direction  as  though  their  object  was  to  inter- 
cept the  course  of  the  ship.  The  manoeuvres  of  the  natives 
appeared  so  hostile,  that  Captain  Macy  made  all  sail  off  shore,  and 
at  dark  saw  canoes  in  chase  of  the  vessel  which,  however,  they 

29 


226  PACIFIC     AND 

did  not  succeed  in  overtaking.  Captain  Macy  supposes,  from  the 
appearance  of  the  natives,  and  the  few  articles  he  saw  in  the  ca- 
noe which  visited  the  ship,  that  they  have  never  had  an  intercourse 
with,  or  knowledge  of,  civilized  people*  The  latitude  of  the  island 
is  8°  52'  S.  long.  157°  23X  W.  Whether  this  be  a  new  island  or 
not,  is  a  subject  of  curious  inquiry ;  and  certain  it  is,  our  know- 
ledge of  it  is  very  imperfect. 

From  the  account  given  by  Captain  Allen,  the  dangerous  reef 
of  rocks  near  Cape  St.  Roque  is  erroneously  laid  down  on  the 
charts.  He  experienced  moderate  weather  while  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  island,  which  subjected  his  vessel  to  a  strong 
westerly  current,  causing  her  to  fall  to  leeward  of  the  port  about 
90  miles  of  latitude.  May  24th,  land  was  seen  W.  S.  W.  and  W. 
20  miles,  latitude,  by  observation,  5°  24'  S.  Stood  in,  and  at  the 
distance  of  10  miles  from  land  tacked  off,  being  24  miles  south  of 
Cape  shoals,  by  the  chart.  Observed  the  day  following  5°  25' 
S.,  and  stood  in  towards  the  S.  W.  and  W.  S.  W.,  working  to 
windward ;  and,  4^-  hours  after,  with  my  position,  as  per  chart,  25 
miles  south  of  the  shoals,  the  prominent  headlands  being  precisely 
as  the  day  before,  and  judging  the  same  distance  off,  (10  miles,) 
while  in  the  act  of  veering,  the  vessel  struck  on  the  reef,  bilged, 
and  filled  m  three  hours ;  proving,  according  to  my  observation, 
and  information  subsequently  obtained  on  shore,  that  the  shoals 
were  placed  on  the  chart  erroneously  25  to  30  miles  ;  latitude  by 
chart  5°,  their  true  latitude  5°  25'  to  5°  30X.  The  Cape  is  also 
erroneously  laid  down,  authors  differing  from  5°  03X  to  5°  34X  S. 
The  latest  edition  of  the  "American  Coast  Pilot"  places  them 
nearly  in  their  true  position. 

Captain  M.  Hart,  on  a  late  trading  voyage  from  New  York  to 
the  Northwest  coast,  from  thence  to  Canton,  and  back  to  New 
York,  via  the  Sandwich  islands,  embraced  every  opportunity  in 
his  power  to  obtain  the  true  position  of  islands,  shoals,  rocks,  reefs, 
&c.,  and  the  accuracy  with  which  they  are  laid  down  in  the  charts 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  227 

in  common  use.  The  general  correctness  of  his  observationsj  I 
think,  may  be  relied  on,  as  he  is  a  man  of  considerable  science,  of 
great  experience,  had  on  board  two  good  chronometers,  and  was, 
besides,  well  versed  in  the  use  of  lunar  observations.  In  lat.  15° 
30'  N.  and  long.  123°  20'  W.  are  laid  down  the  dangerous  rocks 
called  "  Villa  Robos."  Captain  Hart  sailed  over  the-  very  spot, 
and  saw  nothing  of  them.  They  no  doubt  exist  somewhere  in  the 
neighbourhood,  and  should  be  looked  after,  and  their  position  ac- 
curately defined.  On  all  the  published  charts  the  island  "  Caspar 
Rico"  is  laid  down  in  15°  N.  lat.  and  172°  E.  long.  Smith's 
island,  and  also  St.  ^Bartholomew's,  have  the  same  latitude,  and 
170°  and  164°  E.  long.  Captain  Hart  ran  for  these  islands, 
tacked  several  times,  had  a  number  of  good  observations,  and  de- 
cided to  his  entire  satisfaction  that  they  are  not  to  be  found  within 
fifty  miles  of  their  positions  given  on  the  charts.  The  island 
"  Pagon"  is  laid  down  25  miles  too  far  to  the  north.  The  third 
Volcano  island  could  not  be  found  in  the  latitude  and  longitude 
given  by  some  navigators.  Captain  H.  ran  for  the  island  "  Tres 
Colunas,"  and  came  to  in  lat.  27°  N.  and  160°  E.  long.,  the  very 
position  given  this  island,  and,  with  a  clear  atmosphere,  he  could 
not  discover  land  in  any  direction  from  the  mast-head,  and  with 
the  best  of  glasses.  Of  course,  this  isknd  does  not  exist,  or  is  in- 
accurately laid  down  on  the  charts.  "Gold  island"  is  not  laid 
down  correctly,  as  land  was  not  in  sight  in  29°  3(X  N.  and  151° 
3(X  E.,  the  position  given  on  all  the  large  charts. 

The  information  I  have  thus  far  communicated  has  been  de- 
rived chiefly  from  our  citizens  engaged  or  interested  in  the  whale- 
fishery.  I  regret  that  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  communicate  in  wri- 
ting all  the  interesting  facts  which  I  have  been  enabled  to  collect 
from  those  engaged  in  the  seal  trade,  or,  as  they  call  it,  the  "  skin- 
ning business."  The  occupation  of  these  men  leads  them  into 
seas  and  parts  of  the  globe  far  beyond  the  common  pathway  of 


228  PACIFIC     AND 

the  whaler.  Their  voyages  and  adventures,  too,  are  of  the  most 
daring  kind.  In  small  vessels  they  venture  into  high  southern 
latitudes,  and  have  actually  taken  seal,  with  profit,  in  some  in- 
stances, within  the  south  antarctic  circle.  In  the  history  of  the 
seal-trade,  secrecy  in  what  they  know,  has  been  deemed  a  part, 
and  a  very  important  part,  too,  of  their  capital.  There  is  nothing 
more  common  at  this  time,  than  that  islands  are  frequented  for 
animal-fur,  and  their  positions  known  to  no  one  on  board  but  the 
captain ;  and  when  an  island  is  discovered,  the  observations  are 
made  and  noted  down  by  the  captain  in  his  private  journal. 

In  frequent  and  familiar  conversations  with  these  practical  men, 
who  have  spent  so  many  years  of  their  lives  in  these  high  latitudes, 
I  have  been  enabled  to  draw  out  a  great  deal  of  information  in  re- 
lation to  the  manner  of  conducting  a  vessel  with  safety  through 
the  ice,  and  the  proper  season  of  ths  year  to  make  the  attempt  to 
reach  high  latitudes,  with  a  world  of  useful  hints  and  observations 
of  a  kindred  nature.  These  I  do  not  deem  it  necessary  to  give  in 
detail,  but  have  recorded  them  in  my  private  notes  for  future  use. 
L  have  also  been  enabled  to  ascertain,  with  a  good  deal  of  precis 
ion,  the  portion  of  the  southern  hemisphere  where  these  attempts 
to  reach  a  high  latitude  have  always  proved  ineffectual.  And 
they  have  communicated  to  me,  also,  where  their  experience  has 
fully  shown  that  vessels  may  advance  with  no  great  difficulty  into 
very  high  latitudes,  if  not  to  the  90th  degree  itself.  From  all 
which,  as  well  as  from  answers  received  to  a  circular  letter  ad- 
dressed to  many  whom  I  could  not  see,  I  have  been  enabled  to 
make  the  following  estimate  : — 

That  they  have  been  near  70°  S.  latitude  in  a  few  instances,  in 
which  latitude  they  experienced  moderate  weather,  a  clear  sea, 
and  no  land  or  ice  to  the  south.  They  all  agree  that  the  ice  to  be 
met  with  is  first  formed  and  attached  to  land,  and  that  the  greatest 
impediment  to  navigation  from  ice  will  be  found  from  62°  to  68° 
S.  except  in  those  meridians  where  they  have  not  been  able  to  go 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  229 

far  south  at  any  time.  They  have  seen  lands  to  the  east  of  the 
Shetlands,  but  give  no  account  of  any  animal  or  vegetable  produc- 
tion on  any  of  them. 

The  southern  part  of  the  New  South  Shetlands  extends  farther 
than  any  one  has  yet  penetrated.  The  shores  are  bold,  and  in 
many  places  afford  spacious  harbours,  which  look  as  if  they  might 
extend  far  into  land,  like  Hudson  or  Baffin's  bay. 

The  captains  who  have  sailed  within  the  straits  of  Magellan,  all 
report  that,  if  properly  surveyed,  it  would  become  the  principal 
passage  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  They  state  that  the  snow-storms 
are  not  frequent,  nor  of  long  duration,  to  the  south,  and  generally 
come  with  E.  N.  E.  and  S.  S.  E.  winds.  Currents,  among  the 
Shetlands,  mostly  set  N.  E.  at  1 J  and  2  miles  an  hour. 

Captain  James  C.  Swain  states  that  he  has  been  several  times 
in  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  found  the  best  time  to  double  the  Cape 
in  March  and  April,  as  then  the  winds  are  most  variable,  and  the 
weather  the  most  pleasant,  with  but  now  and  then  some  rain  and 
hail.  The  highest  point  of  south  latitude  he  made  was  59°  18', 
long.  67°  20'  W.,  being  then  95  days  out.  The  snow-storms 
lasted  but  a  short  time  in  that  latitude.  Short  passages  are  made 
by  keeping  hear  the  land.  On  the  5th  of  April,  he  saw  birds  in 
lat.  56°  20',  long.  80°  W.  The  birds  were  small,  and  could  not 
have  flown  far.  From  the  appearance  of  the  water,  and  from  the 
driftwood,  as  well  as  from  the  birds,  he  conjectured  that  land  was 
not  far  off.  He  crossed  the  equator  on  the-  24th  of  June,  in  long. 
115°  22' when  the  variation  was  5  degrees  easterly.  In  lat.  7° 
09'  N.,  long.,  121°  25'  W.,  the  variation  was  5°  45'.  In  lat.  11° 
N.,  long  123°  55'  W.,  and  from  thence  to  long.  129°,  and  to  lat. 
18°  22X,  he  saw  driftwood,  and  imagined  that  land  was  near. 
From  33°  28'  N.  lat.  and  on  144°  5CK  W.  long,  to  153°,  the  vari- 
ation was  about  10  degrees.  He  says  it  does  not  answer  to  come 
from  high  to  low  latitudes  until  October.  In  lat.  23°  25'  S.,  long. 
52°  50'  W.,  he  saw  an  island,  called  by  the  natives  "  Remat."  It 


230  PACIFIC     AND 

appeared  lo  be  about  15  miles  in  circumference,  not  then  laid 
down  in  any  chart.  The  inhabitants  mild  and  peaceable  ;  the  land 
low,  and  the  productions  the  same  as  the  Friendly  islands. 

Much  other  and  more  minute  information  has  been  given  me 
respecting  the  mode  of  doing  business  in  the  whale-fishery  by  the 
gentlemen  I  have  consulted;  as,  also,  the  number  and  nature  of 
their  losses,  with  all  the  facts  they  have  in  their  possession  in  re- 
gard to  those  ships  now  missing,  which  may  enable  the  expedition 
to  use  the  best  methods  of  extending  to  these  unfortunate  people 
assistance,  if  they  are  within  the  reach  of  aid.  But  these  matters, 
fully  written  out,  would  extend  my  communication  to  an  unwar- 
rantable length.  Enough  has  already  been  given  of  what  I  have 
collected,  to.  show  how  much  remains  to  be  done  in  that  portion 
of  the  globe ;  and  enough  also,  to  prove  to  the  Department  that 
•it  is  in  possession  of  more  information  of  these  seas  than  the  Ad- 
miralty of  any  other  nation,  however  commercial,  for  those  seas 
are  truly  our  field  of  fame.  Too  much  credit  cannot  be  given  to 
our  whalers,  sealers,  and  traffickers  in  those  seas  for  the  informa- 
tion they  have  acquired,  and  the  liberality,  generally  speaking, 
with  which  they  have  imparted  it.  But,  after  all  their  exertions, 
justice  to  ourselves  as  a  great  people  requires  that  this  mass 
of  information  should  be  reviewed,  analyzed,  classified,  and  pre- 
served in  careful  literary  labours  for  the  benefit  of  mankind. 

That  this  may  be  accomplished  in  your  administration  of  the 
marine  of  our  country,  and  under  your  auspices,  and  especial  care, 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  public,  and  the  honour  of  our  country,  is 
my  ardent  wish. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  N.  REYNOLDS. 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  231 

WASHINGTON  CITY,  February  1,  1835. 

SIR  :  As  an  officer  of  the  United  States  navy,  I  cannot  look 
upon  the  efforts  you  have  been  making  towards  getting  up  an  ex 
pedition  to  the  South  seas  with  feelings  of  indifference.  They 
are  noble,  sir,  and  the  design  is  worthy  of  them.  I  had  the  good 
fortune  to  perform  the  cruise  of  the  Potomac,  under  the  command 
of  Commodore  Downes,  in  which  we  circumnavigated  the  globe, 
increasing  our  latitude  from  40°  north  to  upwards  of  56°  south ; 
and,  in  this  immense  range  of  ocean,  we  were  never  once  beyond 
the  reach,  or  in  fact  within  some  degrees  of  the  limits  of  our  wha- 
ling and  sealing  interests.  "While  among  the  islands  of  the  Pa-* 
cine  Ocean,  and  during  a  cruise  of  some  18  months  on  the  west 
coast  of  South  America,  I  had  numerous  opportunities  of  observ- 
ing the  immensity  of  our  whaling  and  other  commercial  interests 
in  those  seas  ;  and  alas  !  of  mourning  (from  the  reports  of  number- 
less merchants  and  whaling  captains)  over  the  imperfections  of 
our  charts  of  those  very  regions  now  become  the  field  of  enter- 
prise of  those  daring  navigators.  Newly-discovered  islands  are 
yearly  being  made,  and  already  a  list  of  upwards  of  400  has  been 
made.  Some  of  these  lists  I  have  seen  ;  but  they  have,  I  believe, 
some  time  since,  been 'laid  before  the  House  of  Representatives 
by  the  untiring  and  highly-to-be-commended  exertions  of  J.  N. 
Reynolds,  Esq.  I  am  well  convinced,  by  practical  knowledge,  of 
the  utility  of  the  proposed  expedition,  towards  a  thorough  exam- 
ination of  those  seas,  for  the  preservation  of  our  commerce  and  the 
encouragement  of  our  seamen  engaged  in  a  service  already,  per- 
haps, the  most  dangerous  of  any,  independent  of  unknown  islands 
and  undiscovered  reefs. 

Without  entering  into  any  learned  or  farfetched  argument  in 
support  of  the  existence  of  undiscovered  land  in  high  southern 
latitudes,  abounding  in  articles  of  commercial  interest,  allow  me, 
sir,  to  refer  you  to  a  communication  made  to  the  Royal  Geo- 


232  PACIFIC     AND 

graphical  Society,  in  the  year  1833.  It  appears,  from  this  paper, 
that  one  Captain  Biscoe,  in  the  brig  Tula,  accompanied  by  a  small 
cutter,  the  Lively,  on  the  8th  of  February,  1831,  discovered  land, 
and  during  one  whole  month  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  it.  He 
clearly  discerned  the  black  peaks  above  the  snow,  but  he  was  una- 
ble to  approach  nearer  than  thirty  miles  to  it,  from  the  boisterous 
state  of  the  weather  and  ice.  The  stormy  petrels  were  the  only 
birds  seen,  and  no  fish.  It  has  been  named  Emberly's  land,  lon- 
gitude 47°  30'  east,  latitude  66°  30'  south  ;  an  extent  of  300  miles 
was  seen.  In  consequence  of  the  bad  state  of  the  health  of  his 
crew,  Captain  Biscoe  was  compelled  to  return  into  warmer  lati- 
tudes ;  but,  in  the  eany  part  of  February,  1832,  he  was  again  in 
the  vicinity  of  an  immense  iceberg,  when  it  fell  to  pieces,  accom- 
panied by  a  tremendous  noise,  and,  on  the  15th  of  the  same  month, 
land  was  seen  to  the  southeast,  latitude  67°  15',  longitude  69° 
29'  west.  It  was  found  to  be  an  island  near  the  head-land  of  what 
may  hereafter  be  called  the  Southern  continent.  On  the  island, 
about  four  miles  from  the  shore,  was  a  high  peak,  and  some 
smaller  ones.  On  the  21st  of  February,  Captain  Biscoe  landed  in 
a  spacious  bay,  on  the  main  land,  and  took  possession,  in  the 
name  of  his  majesty  William  IV.  It  will  probably,  on  futher  ex- 
amination, be  found  that  this  very  land  is  but  a  continuation  of  the 
same  chain  of  islands  which  are  entirely  and  undoubtedly  an 
American  discovery ;  but  the  honour  may  be  snatched  from  us, 
and  the  glory  of  naming  them  be  lost  to  the  country,  should  the 
present  expedition  fail,  to  say  nothing  of  the  advantages  that  may 
be  lost  in  the  collection  of  animal-fur.  I  will  not  trouble  you 
longer,  sir ;  I  may  already  have  taken  a  liberty  in  writing  to  you 
on  the  subject.  I  have  too  much  pride  in  my  country,  to  suppose 
for  one  moment  that  a  few  months  will  not  see  the  South  Sea  ex- 
pedition filling  to  the  breeze,  and  wafting  on  to  national  fame. 
Few  hearts  in  the  navy  will  not  beat  high  with  hope  of  participa- 
tion, and  many — (and  I  say  it  with  professional  exultation) — yea, 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  233 

many  noble  spirits  will  be  found  ready  and  willing  to  venture  all, 
and  patiently  meet  the  dangers  and  privations  which  such  an  ex- 
pedition may  demand,  to  fill  the  measure  of  their  country's  glory. 
Sir,  may  I  venture  further,  and  look  to  the  end  of  three  short 
years,  and  foretell  the  return  of  the  gallant  little  band  crowned' 
with  success — rich  in  knowledge  of  tropical  seas,  and  bearing  the 
high  honour  of  having  unfurled  the  stars  of  liberty  even  to  the 
verge  of  the  Southern  hemisphere.  And  with  what  pride — what 
glowing  conscious  pride,  will  not  you,  sir,  and  the  honourable 
committee  to  which  the  subject  has  been  referred,  hail  the  return 
of  that  expedition  which  your  efforts  pushed  forward ;  bearing,  too, 
that  information  which  is  to  render  the  South  seas  and  Pacific 
ocean  more  safe  to  our  daring  fishermen  and  other  traffickers. 

With  high  hopes  for  the  success  of  yourself  and  the  honourable 
committee,  and  with  many  sentiments  of  respect, 
I  remain,  sir, 

Your  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

SYLVANUS  GODON, 

Passed  Midshipman  U.  S.  Navy. 
Hon.  DUTEE  J.  PEARCE, 

Member  of  the  Committee  on  Commerce. 


234 


PACIFIC     AND 


ISLANDS,  REEFS,  SHOALS,  &c., 

NOT    CONTAINED    JN    THE    PRECEDING    REPORT. 

North 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Curry's  island.   - 

By  some   -     - 

28°25' 

178°20' 

By  others      -     - 

28  25 

178  14 

Tamulanes' 

island   -     -     - 

36  49 

Washington 

Island  -     -     - 

4  33 

159  45 

By  others      -     - 

4  40 

160  40 

Jane's  island 

16  06 

173   12 

Louisa    do.  -    - 

16  25 

145 

Caroline  do.  -     - 

17 

145  05 

Charles  do.  -     - 

25   15 

172  34 

5 

160 

46 

171   57 

11 

171   55 

28  54 

177  39 

A  rock     -    -    - 

11  06 

154  30 

Do.  -     -    ,  :•$ 

7  51 

139  50 

| 

Reef  -     -     -     - 

17  12 

156  12 

Pollard's  reef     - 

24  09 

168  09 

Reef  -     -    -  -  -j 

1    13 

179   18 

Do.   -    -    -    J 

8  06 

140 

Shoal  -     -    V  r 

1  44 

170  30 

Do.  -    -  •-  '•». 

25  36 

151   28 

Do.  -    -   ^ 

26     5 

177  56 

21  29 

131   28 

13 

171   45 

49 

171   40 

Reef  -    - 

710  15 

133  50 

[  ...  ~    ' 

North 

East 

latitude* 

longitude. 

Sarah  Ann's 

island    -     -     - 

16°08 

143°  16' 

Worth's  isle  -     - 

8  48 

151   D. 

Copper  inland    - 

26  06 

131   48 

Paul's  island 

21   09 

141   39 

Bassiosas  isle     - 

26  06 

173  27 

Tuck's  island     - 

1  07 

150  D. 

INDIAN     OCEAN. 


235 


ISLANDS,    REEFS,    SHOALS    &c. 

North 

East 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Whittington's  isl 
Ascension  islanc 

6°48" 
6  52 

159°48X 
158  50 

North's  island     - 

8  48 

150  to 

152  D. 

Granger's  isle     - 

18  58 

144  14 

Halison's  do.     •* 

19  39 

166  50 

Genevieve  islanc 

17 

176  56 

Mary's  islands    - 

9 

150 

Elizabeth  do. 

7 

151 

Emily       do.    *- 

9  48 

165   12 

Joanna  island 

17  06 

163  33 

Susan's   do.  -     - 

27  36 

143 

'  %o  vfp.  |.             >>• 

30  40 

155 

("".['  '  *.              •'*'•'•** 

30 

137 

29  33 

137 

30 

139 

30  59 

146  57 

'  ^                                  .          •               i 

29 

175  45 

\'-\*-                 '"'i] 

26  06 

131  48 

23  03 

162  57 

k£  •'  \-rt--  K  -     •• 

Reef  .... 

19   16 

165  43 

<m  csw  ;  f- 

Do.    -.-    - 

16  36 

169  42 

:•'-•-• 

Do.    .... 

17  30 

144  45 

,                 > 

South 

West 

.   •  "        •    ;                    '  i 

latitude. 

longitude. 

\       1  -^ 

-tt                  i 

Whytetuche 

<                                       ! 

i 

island   -     -     - 

18°52/ 

159042' 

Watuoo  island   - 

21   01 

158   15 

Chittorra  do. 

22  30 

151   30 

Jarvis        do. 

30 

172 

1 

Brind's      do. 

3   14 

171 

Long         do. 

17  56 

140  16 

Claudius  do. 

18  22 

115   15 

Pystoza    do. 

22  23 

175  41 

Sarah        do. 

1   05 

158  54 

19   13 

139 

Helen  islands     - 

fm.3lo3° 

40'  S.  and 

1715Q'to 

173°  10' 

Theodora  island 

5  32 

173  34 

236 


PACIFIC     AND 


ISLANDS,      REEFS,     SHOALS,    &c. 

South 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

Group  of  islands 
Fanny  island 

17° 

1 

145°  12' 
172 

Julia      do.  -     - 

1   30 

171    10 

2  20 

171    15 

Harper's  island  - 

2  40 

172  35 

Brother's  do. 

2  48 

171   59 

t 

6  36 

163 

Fletcher    do.     - 

7  04 

173  12 

15  40 

144  50 

Wesley     do. 

15  54 

141  42 

16  08 

145  12 

16  09 

142  12 

17  28 

140  56 

Anthon's  group  - 

17  54 

142 

C4          V  '..». 

19  20 

179  30 

21    10 

149  30 

23  20 

104  50 

10 

152  32 

16 

148  56 

Rock  -    -    -    - 

26  24 

170  54 

Do.    -    --- 

25  30 

174  03 

Do.  near  Tapo- 

calma,  50  miles 

South  of  Val- 

paraiso. Seve- 

ral vessels  have 

been  lost  on  it. 

33  51 

71   28 

Reef  dangerous 

5  38 

173  33 

'  '.    '  •   - 

Do.    -    -    -    - 

3  38 

157  59 

Do.    -    ... 

10  48 

166  06 

New  Bladone     - 

18  11 

118  40 

•  • 

South 

East 

latitude. 

longitude. 

' 

Tencher's  isle     - 

1°33' 

150°40' 

Roturia      do.    - 

12  29 

177  10 

1 

174   10 

Rambler's  reef  - 

22 

174  30 

Reef  .... 

31   30 

154 

28  40 

160  14 

INDIAN-    OCEAN. 


237 


ISLANDS,     REEFS,     SHOALS,    &c. 


South 

West 

latitude. 

longitude. 

. 

11°29' 

165°  25' 

2  45 

172  30 

Farmer's  island 

3 

170  45 

Arthur's     do.     - 

3  40 

176  15 

Solitary      do.     - 

10  39 

177 

Savage       do.     - 

19  05 

169  50 

A  rock     -     -    - 

Between  Falkland 

islands 

'""  •  '  (•  *  '' 

and  the  continent  —  about 

1  1-, 

200   miles   west 

of  the 

former. 

Off-shore  whaling  ground,  from  103°  to  115°,  in  lat.  from  3° 
to  5°,  7°  S.,  and  sometimes  on  the  line,  Captain  Mitchell  discov- 
ered a  low  island  well  covered  with  timber.  It  was  not  seen  until 
the  vessel  was  near,  and  had  it  been  night,  the  chances  are  that 
the  vessel  would  have  been  lost.  There  were  no  other  islands  in 
sight,  and  this  one  not  on  any  chart.  The  island  should  bear  the 
name  of  its  discoverer,  Mitchell. 

Navigator's  islands.  These  islands  are  said  to  be  eight  in  num- 
ber, were  discovered  by  Bougainville,  and  examined  by  Perouse 
in  1787,  and  may  be  said  to  extend  from  14°  9'  to  18°  57'  south. 
The  number  of  inhabitants  is  probably  from  forty  to  fifty  thousand. 

Captain  Worth,  of  the  Howard,  informs  us  that,  having  visited 
most  of  the  islands  in  the  South  Pacific,  he  considers  the  island 
of  Ottewhy  as  presenting  advantages  and  facilities  to  whalemen, 
superior  to  those  of  any  other  island  in  that  ocean.  It  affords 
fruit,  yams,  poultry,  swine,  &c.,  in  the  greatest  abundance,  plenty 
of  wood  and  excellent  water.  For  a  musket  the  natives  give  thir- 
teen hogs,  or  eight  hundred  to  a  thousand  yams  ;  and  great  quan- 
tities of  fowls,  cocoa-nuts,  bananas,  &c.,  may  be  purchased  for  a 
few  pipes,  flints  and  blue-glass  beads.  The  fruit  is  generally  ob- 


238  PACIFIC     AND 

tained  at  the  northwest  part  of  the  island ;  but  hogs,  wood,  and 
water  are  procured  from  the  north  side.  Sufficient  supplies  may  be 
taken  on  board  in  the  short  space  of  four  days ;  and  no  danger  need 
be  apprehended  from  the  natives,  provided  the  precaution  be  taken  to 
keep  the  head  chief  on  board  as  a  hostage,  day  and  night — a  re- 
quisition very  willingly  complied  with,  when  two  or  three  of  the 
natives  and  an  interpreter  are  also  allowed  to  remain.  By  pursu- 
ing this  course  in  both  his  visits  to  this  place,  Captain  Worth 
passed  and  repassed  unarmed  in  his  boats  with  perfect  safety,  and 
found  the  natives  extremely  civil,  never  attempting  to  steal  from 
the  boats  on  shore,  nor  while  on  board  his  ship.  He  thinks,  how- 
ever, that  without  this  precaution,  they  would  not  hesitate  to  seize 
a  boat  and  crew,  merely  for  the  sake  of  two  or  three  muskets, 
which  article  they  seemed  very  anxious  to  obtain,  though  they 
never  inquired  for  shot  or  ball.  The  white  residents  (of  which 
there  are  only  two,  who  are  chiefly  engaged  in  agriculture,)  in- 
formed Captain  Worth  that  they  made  no  other  use  of  the  mus- 
kets than  to  discharge  them  at  their  great  feasts,  considering  those 
the  best  which  made  the  loudest  reports. 

The  chains  of  islands  in  Oceanica  and  the  Pacific,  extend  in 
general,  from  S.  E.  to  N.  W.,  and  the  groups  often  terminate  with 
a  large  island,  as  Otaheite  and  Owyhee.  This  fact  may  facilitate 
discovery,  and  a  knowledge  of  it  add  to  the  security  of  navigation, 
by  avoiding  the  immense  reefs  which  extend,  no  doubt,  at  great 
distance  from  the  point  where  the  islands  terminate. 

Solomon  islands,  seen  by  Byron  in  1765,  and  supposed  by  him 
to  be  the  islands  of  Quiros,  in  the  17th  century.  They  are  ex- 
ceedingly dangerous— Lie  in  10°  15'  S.  169°  28'  W. 

Admiralty  islands  lie  to  the  N.  W.  of  New  Ireland ;  are  numer- 
ous, extending  from  1°  28'  S.,  to  5°  20'  S.,  and  from  148°  20"  E., 
to  152°  16'  E.  This  scope  embraces  the  whole  extent  of  New 
Britain. 

New  Guinea,  that  great  link  by  which  the  Molucca  islands  are 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  239 

connected  on  the  one  hand  with  New  Holland,  and  with  the  Po- 
lonesian  archipelago  on  the  other.  Of  this  extensive  chain  we 
know  nothing  except  the  line  of  coast,  and,  unfortunately,  even  of 
that  but  little.  The  length  of  this  country  cannot  be  much  short 
of  1200  miles,  and  from  15  to  360  in  width.  This  country  is 
called  Papua,  or  the  country  of  the  Papoos,  a  name  by  which  the 
inhabitants  are  known  among  the  Malays.  It  is  from  these  islands 
that  birds  of  Paradise  are  procured,  of  which  there  are  known  to 
be  not  less  than  twelve  species. 

St.  David  and  Freewill  islands  form  the  most  natural  transition 
from  New  Guinea  to  Polynesia,  or  Eastern  Oceanica ;  and  what 
is  strange,  these  islands  are  inhabited  by  a  race  entirely  different 
from  the  Papua,  being  of  a  copper  colour,  and  in  language  re- 
sembling the  Sandwich  islands 

Leaving  the  Molucca  sea,  next  comes  the  Pelew  islands,  called 
by  the  early  navigators  Palaos.  The  inhabitants  are  naturally  an 
amiable,  gay,  and  innocent  people,  of  middling  size,  and  by  no 
means  bad  looking.  They  lie  between  133°  and  136°  E.,  and 
from  6°  to  8°  N. 

To  the  north  of  the  Pelew  islands  are  those  called  Matetotes, 
Martyrs,  Sagaoadiahh,  &e. 

The  groups  of  St.  Andrew,  Pedeo,  Warwick,  &c.,  stretch  off  to 
the  south,  and  are  but  imperfectly  known. 

Turning  to  the  northeast  from  the  Pelew  islands,  we  find  the 
Marian  .group,  consisting  of  neat  twenty  in  number.  These  islands 
are  of  ancient  discovery,  by  Magellan,  in  1621,  and  called  by, him 
Ladrones,  but  were  afterward,  under  Philip  IV.,  changed  to  the 
present  name  in  honour  of  Mary  Ann  of  Austria.  They  extend 
from  13°  to  22°  N.,  and  from  145°  35'  to  148°  E.. 

To  the  north  of  Marian  islands  are  different  groups,  of  which 
nothing  is  known  except  that  they  are  volcanic. 

What  is  known,  even  at  this  late  day,  of  the  Caroline  islands? 
Nothing,  except  that  this  archipelago  lies  between  the  Pescadores 


240  PACIFIC     AND 

on  the  east,  the  Marian  islands  on  the  north,  and  the  Pelew  isl- 
ands on  the  west.  The  group  does  not  contain  less  than  two  hun- 
dred islands.  The  soil  is  fertile,  but  the  country  is  subject  to  hur- 
ricanes. 

Of  the  Mulgrave  islands,  (from  O6  to  8°  S.,  and  171°  to  175° 
E.,)  we  know  their  name  and  position.  This  chain  is  connected 
with  the  Caroline  group  by  the  Pescadores ;  and  probably  with 
the  other  archipelagos  of  Polynesia  by  chains  still  unknown. 

All  the  seas  west  from  Navigator's  islands  to  Solomon's  group, 
are  speckled  with  detached  islands  ;  some  of  them  remarkably 
fertile  and  productive. 

Feyjee  islands,  or  archipelago,  from  16°  30'  to  19°  48'  N.,  and 
from  175°  5'  to  179°  19'  W. 

Sailing  eastward,  we  fall  in  with  the  hills  and  plains  of  the 
Friendly  islands.  Allowing  this  cluster  to  extend  as  far  as  the 
Feyjees  in  the  west,  the  Cocoa  and  Traitor's  islands  in  the  north, 
to  Savage  island  in  the  east,  and  to  Pytstaert  in  the  south,  it  will 
include  more  than  one  hundred  islands. 

The  Society  islands  have  been  the  theme  of  more  writing  than 
some  kingdoms  of  Europe.  Who  that  has  read  and  not  admired 
the  charms  of  Queen  Oberia,  and  viewed  in  imagination  the  fes- 
tivals of  Potomare.  The  Otaheitans  are  better  known  to  us  than 
the  inhabitants  of  Sardinia  or  of  Corsica.  Otaheite  is  indeed  en- 
titled to  the  appellation  of  Queen  of  the  Pacific. 

To  the  southwest  and  southeast  of  the  Society  islands, -a  long 
chain  of  widely-separated  islands  extends,  beginning  with  Palmer- 
ston,  and  ending  with  Easter  islands.  To  the  northeast  and  east 
are  Gloucester,  St.  Paul's,  Conversion,  Michall,  and  many  others 
but  little  ,known. 

In  passing  from  Easter  island  to  the  Marquesas,  the  whole 
ocean  is  sprinkled  with  small  islands,  low,  sandy,  and  encircled 
with  coral  reefs  ;  and  here  the  navigation  is  exceedingly  danger- 
ous. At  the  north  of  these  low  islands  we  find  the  lofty  Marque- 


INDIAN     OCEAN.  241 

sas.  These  islands  were  discovered  by  Mandana,  and  lie  from  7° 
to  10°  S.,  and  from  138°  48'  to  165°  9X  W.  In  sailing  east  from 
the  Marquesas,  no  doubt  important  discoveries  are  to  be  made ; 
perhaps  Roggerwyer's  would  be  rediscovered ;  for  these,  bearing 
the  name  of  their  discoverer  in  1722,  must  lie  between  the  9°  and 
12°  parallels  of  south  latitude.  No  complete  account  of  Rogger- 
wyer's voyage  was  ever  published. 

J.  N.  REYNOLDS. 

WASHINGTON  fit*?,  March,  1836. 


*.  * 


31 


#     • 


REPORT 


COMMITTEE   ON  COMMERCE 


February  7,  1835.— Mr.  PBARCE,  of  Rhode  Island,  from  the  Committee  on  Commerce, 
made  the  following  report: — 

The  Committee  on  Commerce,  to  whom  were  referred  numerous  memorials 
from  citizens  of  various  sections  of  the  United  States,  praying  that 
an  exploring  expedition  to  the  Pacific  ocean  and  South  seas  may  be 
authorized  by  Congress,  report : — 

THAT  the  number  and  character  of  the  memorialists,  and  the 
opinions  they  have  expressed  upon  the  subject  of  the  memorials, 
have  called  the  committee  to  an  attentive  and  careful  considera- 
tion of  the  objects  to  be  attained  by  the  expedition,  as  well  as  of 
the  reasoning  and  facts  adduced  in  favour  of  the  undertaking. 

It  is  represented  that  the  intercourse  between  the  different  parts 
of  the  nation  and  the  islands  and  countries  of  the  Pacific  has 
become  a  matter  of  public  interest,  and  deserving  the  protecting 
care  of  the  national  legislature.  The  fur-business  hitherto  carried 
on  between  the  Pacific  islands  and  China,  has  afforded  rich  returns, 
and  increased  the  wealth  of  our  common  country.  Besides  this 
employment  of  national  industry  and  enterprise,  it  is  represented 
that  there  are  engaged  in  the  whale-fishery,  from  various  parts  of 
the  country,  an  aggregate  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  thousand 
tons  of  shipping  and  ten  thousand  men. 

Besides  this  amount,  engaged  directly  and  exclusively  in  the 
trade,  there  is  a  vast  amount  of  capital  incidentally  dependant  on 
it,  and  in  transporting  oil  to  Europe,  and  in  return  cargoes,  as  well 


244  COMMITTEE     ON 

as  the  different  parts  of  our  own  coast ;  so  that,  from  the  most 
careful  computation,  it  has  been  found  that  not  less  than  one  hun 
dred  and  seventy  thousand  tons  of  shipping,  navigated  by  twelve 
thousand  men,  are  employed  in  this  branch  of  business,  and  the 
capital  invested  not  much,  if  any,  short  of  twelve  millions  of 
dollars.  This  view  of  the  astonishing  increase  in  this  branch  of 
our  national  industry,  is  fully  sustained  by  records,  and  is  ably 
treated  in  an  article  of  unusual  merit  in  the  North  American 
Review,  for  January,  1834. 

The  memorialists  further  represent,  that  the  increased  extent  of 
the  voyages  now  pursued  by  the  trading  and  whaling  ships  into 
seas  but  little  explored,  and  to  parts  of  the  world  before  unknown, 
has  increased  the  cares,  the  dangers,  and  the  losses  of  their  mer- 
chants and  mariners.  Within  a  few  years  their  cruisers  have 
extended  from  the  coasts  of  Peru  and  Chili  to  the  Northwest  coast, 
New  Zealand,  and  the  isles  of  Japan.  This  increase  of  risk  has 
been  attended  by  an  increase  of  loss.  Several  vessels  have  been 
wrecked  on  islands  and  reefs  not  laid  down  on  the  charts ;  and,  in 
some  instances,  no  soul  survived  to  tell  their  fate. 

That  something  should  be  done,  on  the  part  of  Government, 
for  the  protection  of  this  widely-extended  and  important  interest, 
seems  to  be  the  undivided  opinion,  as  it  is  evidently  the  interest, 
of  a  large  portion  of  the  country ;  and  the  anxiety  of  the  public 
mind  has  been  evinced  by  various  memorials  to  this  house  from 
legislative  bodies,  from  the  hardy  and  enterprising  citizens  of  Nan- 
tucket,  and  other  places  interested  in  the  whale-trade. 

A  recent  expression  of  the  legislature  of  Rhode  Island  is  con- 
tained in  the  following  words : — 

"  State  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations,  in  General 

Assembly ',  October  Session,  A.  D.  1834. 

"Resolved,  That,  in  the  opinion  of  this  general  assembly,  the 
subject  of  the  memorial  of  J.  N.  Reynolds  and  others,  dated 

: '••'•':.•":. 


COMMERCE.  245 

November,  1 834,  praying  that  provision  may  be  made  by  law  for 
a  voyage  of  discovery  and  survey  to  the  South  seas,  is  highly 
important  to  our  shipping  and  commercial  interests,  and  is  hereby 
recommended  by  the  said  assembly  to  the  favourable  considera- 
tion of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States." 

Following  this  resolve  of  the  legislature  of  Rhode  Island,  the 
East  India  Marine  Society  of  Salem,  Massachusetts,  a  society 
which  has  filled  a  large  space  in  the  commercial  history  of  our 
country,  in  their  memorial,  use  strong  and  decisive  language,  and 
speak  with  a  practical  knowledge,  which  entitles  their  views  to 
the  most  respectful  consideration ;  "for  among  them  are  those  who 
were  the  first  to  display  our  national  colours  in  our  commerce  to 
the  eastern  world ;  among  them  are  those  who  have  been  engaged 
in  trade  on  coasts  and  among  islands  but  little  known ;  and  they 
have  felt,  in  losses  and  in  painful  solicitude,  the  want  of  the  pro- 
tection of  their  government,  as  well  to  point  out  the  position  of  a 
dangerous  reef,  as  to  defend  them  against  the  natives,  who  had 
seen  nothing  of  our  power  to  restrain  them  from  unlawful  attacks 
upon  their  vessels  or  their  lives ;  among  them  are  those  who  have 
visited  the  islands  in  the  Pacific,  as  well  as  those  in  the  east,  and 
have  seen  and  felt  the  dangers  our  vessels  are  exposed  to,  for  the 
want  of  such  protection  as  an  expedition,  fitted  out  for  the  express 
purpose,  alone  can  give." 

They  further  state,  that  they  will  "  refrain  from  going  into  any 
computation  of  the  immense  amount  of  tonnage  and  capital  engaged 
from  the  United  States,  in  the  whale-fishery,  all  of  which  is  more 
or  less  interested  in  such  an  expedition.  Without  attempting  to 
designate  the  groups  of  islands  most  important  to  be  examined, 
your  memorialists  would  simply  call  the  attention  of  your  honour- 
able body  to  one  point,  which  may  serve  as  an  index  to  the  rest : 
the  Feejee  or  Beetee  islands.  What  is  known  of  them  ?  They 


246  COMMITTEE     ON 

were  named,  but  not  visited,  by  Captain  Cook,  and  consist  of 
sixty  or  more  in  number.  Where  shall  we  find  charts  of  this 
group,  pointing  out  its  harbours  and  dangers?  There  are  none 
to  be  found,  for  none  exist.  And  yet,  have  we  no  trade  there  ? 
We  speak  not  for  others,  but  for  ourselves. 

"  From  this  port,  the  following  vessels  have  been,  or  now  are, 
employed  in  procuring  biche-le-mer  and  shells  at  the  Feejee 
islands,  in  exchange  for  which  eastern  cargoes  are  brought  into 
our  country,  and  thus  contributing  no  inconsiderable  amount  to 
our  national  revenue  : — • 

"  Ship  Clay,  brig  Quill,  have  returned ;  brig  Faun,  lost  at  the 
islands  ;  ship  Glide,  Niagara,  also  lost ;  and  bark  Peru  greatly 
damaged,  and  in  consequence  condemned  at  Manilla ;  brig  Spy 
damaged,  but  repaired  again  ;  brig  Charles  Doggett,  bark  Pallas, 
brig  Edwin,  ship  Eliza,  ship  Emerald,  ship  Augustus,  and  brig 
Consul. 

"  The  Charles  Doggett  has  recently  returned,  in  consequence  of 
having  a  portion  of  her  crew  massacred  by  the  natives.  The 
ship  Oeno,  of  Nantucket,  was  lost  on  one  of  these  islands,  and 
her  officers  and  crew,  consisting  of  twenty-four  in  number,  were 
all  massacred,  in  like  manner,  except  one. 

"  Thus,  it  must  appear  to  your  honourable  body,  that  the  losses 
sustained  at  this  single  point — to  say  nothing  of  the  value  of 
human  life,  which  is  above  all  price — would  not  fall  far  short,  if 
any,  of  the  amount  necessary  to  fit  out  an  expedition  for  the  better 
examination  of  such  points  in  the  Pacific  ocean  and  South  seas, 
as  require  the  attention  of  government."  . 

In  recurring  to  the  memorials  hitherto  presented,  and  now  on 
file,  your  committee  find  them  thus  alluded  to  in  a  letter  from  J. 
N.  Reynolds,  Esq.,  transmitting  them  to  the  honourable  Andrew 
Stevenson,  at  that  time  speaker  of  the  house.  [See  document  209, 
1st  session  20th  Congress.]  The  writer  says  : — 


COMMERCE.  247 

"Among  these  memorials,  you  will  find  one  from  Albany,  dated 
October  19th,  1827,  and  signed  by  his  excellency  Nathaniel 
Pitcher,  lieutenant-governor  of  the  state  of  New  York,  the  hon- 
ourable Erastus  Root,  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives, 
and  by  nearly  all  the  members  of  the  legislature.  I  have 
also  the  honour  of  transmitting  to  you  three  other  memo- 
rials : — the  first  is  dated  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  May  31st, 
1827,  and  signed  by  the  mayor  of  the  city,  President  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  by  a  very  long  list  of  respectable 
citizens.  The  second  is  dated  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  Decem- 
ber 24th,  1827,  and  contains  the  signatures  of  his  excellency 
James  Iredell,  governor  of  the  state;  the.  honourable  B.  Yancy, 
speaker  of  the  senate ;  the  honourable  James  Little,  speaker  of 
the  house  of  commons;  and  by  a  large  proportion  of  the  members 
of  each  branch  of  the  legislature.  The  third  memorial  is  dated 
Richmond,  Virginia,  January  1st,  1828,  and  is  sustained  by  a 
number  of  respectable  citizens :  by  the  honourable  Linn  Banks, 
speaker  of  the  house  of  delegates,  and  by  a  large  and  respect- 
able number  of  the  members  of  the  legislature." 

With  these  memorials,  Mr.  Reynolds  transmitted,  in  like  man- 
ner, to  the  speaker,  the  following  preamble  and  resolution,  adopted 
by  the  house  of  delegates  of  the  state  of  Maryland : — 

"Whereas  foreign  nations  have  long  turned  their  attention 
towards  the  acquirement  of  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
geography  of  the  earth,  by  means  of  voyages  of  discovery,  and 
by  these  exertions  have  not  only  acquired  reputation,  but  extended 
the  weight  of  their  influence,  opened  new  channels  for  commer- 
cial enterprise,  and  benefited  the  human  race,  by  enlarging  and 
improving  the  boundaries  of  knowledge :  And  whereas  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  has  attained  a  high  standing  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth,  the  practical  result  of  the  most  stupen- 


248  COMMITTEE     ON 

dous,  as  well  as  successful,  experiment  ever  made  in  politics ;  a 
population  fast  increasing ;  commercial  relations  and  interest  co- 
extensive with  the  civilized  world;  nautical  skill,  perseverance, 
and  enterprise,  if  not  unequalled,  at  least  unsurpassed :  And 
whereas  the  sending  out  of  one  or  two  vessels  on  a  voyage  of 
discovery  would  not  be  attended  with  any  very  heavy  demands 
on  the  public  treasury,  and  would  seem  to  be  in  strict  accordance 
with  the  character  and  liberal  policy  which  ought  to  be  pursued 
by  a  government  whose  political  existence  is,  in  a  great  measure, 
dependant  on  the  general  intelligence  of  the  people :  And  whereas 
a  great  number  of  the  most  enlightened  citizens,  of  different  sec- 
tions of  our  country,  have  memorialized  the  senate  and  house  of 
representatives  of  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled,  and 
have  set  forth  in  their  memorials  that,  under  the  patronage  of  the 
United  States,  an  expedition  should  be  fitted  out  without  delay, 
and  proceed  to  acquire  a  more  correct  knowledge  of  our  own  con- 
tinent ;  or,  if  possible,  to  enter  the  more  interesting  and  extensive 
field  for  enterprise  in  the  southern  hemisphere ;  and,  provided  for 
the  purpose  with  hardy  seamen  and  scientific  persons,  to  bring 
home  to  us  the  result  of  their  labours,  for  the  honour  of  our  coun- 
try and  the  benefit  of  mankind :  And  whereas  voyages  of  this 
kind,  even  when  they  fail  of  making  important  discoveries, 
bespeak  a  liberal  policy,  and  give  character  to  the  people  who 
undertake  them :  Therefore, 

"  Resolved  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Maryland, 
That  we  do  highly  approve  of  the  views  of  the  said  memorialists, 
believing  that  a  polar  expedition,  if  properly  conducted,  could 
scarcely  fail  in  adding  something  to  the  general  stock  of  national 
wealth  and  knowledge,  and  to  the  honour  and  glory  of  the  United 
States." 

It  is,  perhaps,  unnecessary  to  remark,  that  this  expression  of 
public  sentiment,  though  extensive,  and  deserving  the  most 


COMMERCE.  249 

respectful  consideration,  is  small,  when  compared  with  other  and 
similar  memorials,  introduced  during  the  same  session,  from  tne 
legislatures  of  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  &c. 

These  memorials  having  been  referred  to  the  committee  on 
naval  affairs,  on  the  3d  of  March,  1828,  a  letter  was  addressed, 
by  order  of  the  committee,  to  the  honourable  Samuel  L.  Southard, 
secretary  of  the  navy,  asking  his  "opinion  respecting  such  an 
expedition,  and  briefly  his  reasons  for  it." 

To  this  inquiry  the  secretary  replied : — 

"  I  entertain  the  opinion  that  such  an  expedition  is  expedient. 
My  reasons  are  briefly  these  : — 

"  That  we  have  an  immense  and  increasing  commerce  in  that 
region,  which  needs  the  protecting  kindness  of  the  government, 
and  may  be  greatly  extended  by  such  an  expedition.  Of  the 
extent  and  nature  of  this  commerce,  it  is  not  easy  to  write 
briefly;  nor  is  it  necessary.  It  is  better  known  to  none  than 
to  some  of  the  members  of  the  naval  committee  in  the  house 
of  representatives.  The  estimate  of  its  value  has  been  much 
augmented,  in  the  view  of  the  department,  by  the  reports  which 
have  been  made,  under  its  orders,  by  our  naval  officers  who 
have  commanded  vessels  of  war  in  the  Pacific,  and  which  are 
now  on  file. 

"  The  commercial  operations  carried  on  in  that  quarter  are  diffi- 
cult and  hazardous  :  they  are  correctly  represented  in  the  memo- 
rial of  the  inhabitants  of  Nantucket,  to  which  I  would  refer,  as 
well  as  to  some  of  the  many  other  memorials  which  have  been 
addressed  to  Congress  on  this  subject.  It  would  seem  wise  in 
the  government  to  render  these  commercial  operations  less  hazard- 
ous, and  less  destructive  of  life  and  property,  if  it  can  be  done  by 
a  moderate  expenditure  of  money. 

"  The  commerce  in  the  Pacific  ocean  affords  one  of  the  best 

32 


250  COMMITTEE     ON 

nurseries  for  our  seamen.  An  expedition,  such  as  that  proposed, 
would  be  calculated  to  increase  that  class  of  citizens — an  increase 
in  which  the  government  and  nation  are  deeply  interested. 

"  We  now  navigate  the  ocean,  and  acquire  our  knowledge  of 
the  globe,  its  divisions  and  properties,  almost  entirely  from  the 
contributions  of  others.  By  sending  an  expedition  into  that  im- 
mense region,  so  little  known  to  the,  civilized  world,  we  shall  add 
something  to  the  common  stock  of  geographical  and  scientific 
knowledge,  which  is  not  merely  useful  to  commerce,  but  connects 
itself  with  almost  all  the  concerns  of  society ;  and  while  we  make 
our  contribution  to  this  common  stock,  we  shall  not  fail  to  derive 
the  best  advantages  to  ourselves,  and  be  richly  paid,  even  in  a 
calculation  of  expenditure  and  profiu" 

On  the  25th  of  March,  the  committee  made  their  report  to  the 
house,  and  expressed  themselves  in  the  following  terms  :-— 

"  In  relation  to  the  interests,  individual  and  national,  connected 
with  such  an  expedition,  the  committee  refer  to  a  statement  sub- 
mitted to  them  by  Mr.  J.  N.  Reynolds,  on  the  10th  February, 
1828,  in  answer  to  inquiries  addressed  to  him  by  order  of  the 
committee.  So  much  of  the  statement  as  exhibits  the  amount 
of  our  commerce  in  the  Pacific  seas,  the  committee  think  is  fully 
sustained  by  the  reports  of  the  officers  of  our  navy,  who  have, 
by  order  of  the  Secretary,  heretofore  made  reports  upon  that 
subject,  to  which  Mr.  Reynolds  refers,  and  with  which  his  state 
ment  has  been  compared,  as  well  as  with  the  accounts  of  others 
familiar  with  those  branches  of  our  trade. 

"The  dangers  to  which  an  immense  amount  of  property  is 
exposed,  as  well  as  the  hazard  to  human  life,  for  the  want  of 
knowledge,  by  more  accurate  surveys,  of  the  regions  to  which 
our  commerce  is  extending,  and  the  probable  new  sources  of 


COMMERCE.  251 

wealth  which  may  be  opened  and  secured  to  us,  seem  to  your 
committee  not  only  to  justify,  but  to  demand  the  appropriation 
recommended  ;  they  therefore  report  a  bill  for  the  purpose." 

<* 

During  the  same  session  this  report  was  acted  on,  and  a  bill, 
making  an  appropriation,  passed  the  house  of  representatives. 

From  that  period  to  the  present,  no  legislative  action  has  been 
taken  upon  the  subject,  though  scarcely  a  session  has  passed  that 
memorials  from  one  section  or  other  of  the  country  have  not  been 
presented;  and  the  continued  solicitude  of  the  public  mind  is 
evinced  in  favour  of  the  enterprise,  now  that  the  condition  of  our 
country  and  its  financial  concerns  can  so  easily  afford  the  small 
demand  upon  the  treasury  which  such  an  expedition  will  require. 

The  action  of  Congress  is  not  invoked  in  favour  of  a  measure 
of  doubtful  expediency.  The  requisite  information  in  forming  an 
enlightened  judgment,  and  in  directing  the  action  of  government, 
is  umple  and  complete,  and  will  be  found  in  the  accompanying 
documents.  * 

The  report  of  Mr.  Reynolds  on  the  islands  in  the  Pacific  shows, 
at  a  single  view,  what  remains  to  be  accomplished.  To  examine 
such  of  these  islands  as  may  be  found  to  contain  harbours  and 
places  of  refreshment  for  our  fishermen,  would,  of  itself,  more 
than  justify  the  expenditure  necessary  for  an  expedition,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  collateral  advantages  to  be  derived  in  the  attain- 
ment of  much  useful  knowledge,  so  highly  to  be  prized  by  every 
enlightened  mind. 

Our  interests  in  those  seas  have  indeed  become  immense,  and 
extend  beyond  all  former  example ;  for  our  whalers,  sealers,  and 
traffickers  are  pursuing  their  voyages  in  parts  of  the  world  where,  a 
few  years  ago,  it  would  have  been  adventurous  for  a  discovery-ship. 

The  following  statement  from  Mr.  Reynolds,  in  answer  to  an 
inquiry  addressed  to  him,  shows  the  amounl  of  our  interests  afloat 
among  these  islands  at  this  moment : — • 


252  COMMITTEE     ON 

"JANUARY  30,  1835. 

"  SIR  :  In  answer  to  the  inquiry  contained  in  your  note  of  the 
25th  ultimo,  I  send  you  a  statement  of  the  amount  of  tonnage  and 
capital  at  'this  moment  afloat,'  and  engaged  in  the  spermaceti 
whale-fishery. 

"  The  document  from  which  this  statement  is  taken  has 
recently  been  prepared  with  great  care  by  very  competent  per- 
sons in  Nantucket.* 

"  The  details  comprise  the  names  of  the  ships  and  barks  thus 
employed,  names  of  the  masters,  ports  to  which  they  belong,  dates 
of  departures,  periods  of  absence,  quantities  of  oil  when  last  heard 
from,  and  tonnage  of  vessels,  respectively,  together  with  much 
other  valuable  information.  ,_*.v, 

"  On  inspecting  this  tabular  statement,  it  is  found  that  the  whole 
number  of  ships  engaged  in  this  valuable  branch  of  the  fisheries 
is  273,  of  which  257  are  now  absent,  viz. : — 


From  New  Bedford,  -  -  -  94 
"  Nantucket,  -  -  -  -  63 
"  Fairhaven,  -  -  -  -  14 
"  Bristol,  -----  13 
9 

Hudson, 9 

Warren,    .^r  -, .'._-      7 
Edgarton>     -    -    -    -    6 


"     New  London,  -  "•  "Mj 


From  Falmouth,    -    -    -    -    6 

"  Newport, 6 

"  Sag  Harbour,    -    -    -    5 

"  Salem, 3 

"  Newburyport,    -    -    -    3 

"  Poughkeepsie,     -    -    -  2 

"  Portsmouth,-    -    -    -    2 

"  Dartmouth,    -    -    -    -  2 


And  one  from  each  of  the  following  ports,  viz. :  Boston,  Plymouth, 
Wareham,  Rochester,  Portland,  Wiscasset,  Fall  River,  Providence, 
Stonington,  Newburgh,  New  York,  and  Wilmington,  (Delaware). 
Sixteen  ships  only  are  in  port,  belonging  as  follows :  To  New 
Bedford,  7;  Nantucket,  5;  Fairhaven,  Plymouth,  Sag  Harbour, 
and  Edgarton,  each  one. 

"  The  agregate  tonnage  of  the  257  absent  ships  is  nearly  one 
hundred  thousand  tons.  The  number  of  seamen  and  navigators 
employed  on  board  these  vessels  is  not  far  from  nine  thousand. 

*  "Nantucket  Inquirer." 


COMMERCE.  253 

"  This  document  famishes  a  very  careful  estimate  of  the  quan- 
tity of  spermaceti  oil  imported  into  the  United  States  during  the 
year  1834.  Since  the  first  of  January,  there  have  arrived  from  1 
the  Pacific  ocean  fifty-five  ships,  viz. :  Into  the  port  of  Nantucket, 
11;  New  Bedford,  25;  Plymouth,  2;  Fairhaven,  6;  New  London, 
2 ;  Edgarton,  2 ;  Sag  Harbour,  2 ;  Warren,  2 ;  Falmouth,  Bristol, 
and  Hudson,  each  one.  The  cargoes  of  these  ships  average  little 
more  than  two  thousand  barrels  each ;  add  to  this  quantity  sixteen 
thousand  barrels,  estimated  to  have  been  brought  from  the  South 
Atlantic  ocean,  making  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  thou- 
sand barrels,  and  we  have  the  entire  quantity  of  spermaceti  oil 
imported  in  the  course  of  the  last  year.  Of  this  quantity,  seventy 
thousand  five  hundred  and  seventy-seven  barrels  were  received  at 
New  Bedford,  and  the  residue  at  Nantucket  and  other  places. 

"  Among  the  ships  now  abroad,  there  are  thirty-one  which  sailed 
in  1831 ;  seventy-three,  1832;  eighty-eight,  1833;  and  sixty-five, 
1834.  The  number  of  spermaceti  whale-ships  expected  to  arrive 
within  the  year  1835,  may  be  set  down  at  seventy,  and  their  car- 
goes at  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand  barrels,  valued  at 
more  than  three  millions  of  dollars. 

"  Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

«J.  N.  REYNOLDS, 

"  Hon.  DUTEE  J.  PEARCE." 

In  addition  to  all  this  information,  your  committee  have  availed 
themselves  of  a  letter  from  one  of  our  ablest  and  most  experienced 
commanders,  addressed  to  an  honourable  member  of  this  house ; 
and  the  liberal  and  practical  views  expressed,  entitle  the  opinions 
of  the  writer  to  great  weight. 

!*^*:^ 

"  CHARLESTOWN,  (Mass.)  January  21,  1835. 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  In  compliance  with  your  request  that  I  would 
communicate  to  you,  in  writing,  my  views  on  the  subject  of  a 


254  COMMITTEE     ON 

voyage  of  discovery  to  the  South  seas  and  Pacific  ocean,  I  have 
to  regret  that  the  circumscribed  limits  of  a  letter  will  allow  but 
little  more  than  the  simple  expression  of  an  opinion  on  a  subject 
of  so  much  national  importance,  and  in  relation  to  which  so  much 
might  be  said  in  detail. 

"I  have  had  some  .experience  in  the  navigation  of  the  less- 
frequented  parts  of  the  Pacific,  at  an  earlier  period  of  my  life. 
During  my  late  voyage  in  the  Potomac,  I  have  had  an  opportunity 
to  add  greatly  to  the  knowledge  acquired  in  former  years.  An 
expedition,  fitted  out  for  the  purpose  of  improving  our  knowledge 
of  the  hydrography  of  those  seas,  has  often  been  the  subject  of 
my  reflections.  As  the  representative  of  a  district  largely  engaged 
in  the  whale-fishery,  you  must  frequently  have  seen,  from  the 
reports  of  masters  of  vessels  engaged  in  that  business,  accounts 
of  new  islands  and  reefs  being  frequently  discovered,  and  which 
are  either  not  laid  down  on  the  charts,  or  so  erroneously  marked 
that  they  can  give  no  security  to  the  mariner.  It  is  probable  that 
not  less  than  five  hundred  of  these  islands  and  reefs  have  been 
marked  with  sufficient  accuracy  by  our  whalers,  sealers,  and  traf- 
fickers, of  one  kind  or  another,  to  enable  an  expedition  to  examine 
the  most  important  of  them,  without  much  loss  of  time  in  seeking 
their  positions.  This  will  enable  the  discovery- vessels  to  do  more 
in  less  time  than  has  probably  ever  been  effected  by  a  similar 
enterprise  from  any  other  country.  Of  the  extent  of  our  interest 
in  those  remote  seas,  I  need  not  speak,  as  you  are  conversant  with 
the  subject;  besides,  the  interest  has  been  fairly  represented  by 
memorials  to  Congress.  During  the  circumnavigation  of  the 
globe,  in  which  I  crossed  the  equator  six  times,  and  varied  my 
course  from  40°  north .  to  57°  south  latitude,  I  have  never  found 
myself  beyond  the  limits  of  our  commercial  marine.  The  accounts 
given  of  the  dangers  and  losses  to  which  our  shipping  are  exposed 
by  the  extension  of  our  trade  into  seas  but  little  known,  so  far,  in 
my  opinion,  from  being  exaggerated,  would  admit  of  being  placed 


COMMERCE.  i  255 

in  bolder  relief,  and  the  protection  of  government  implored  in 
stronger  terms.  I  speak  from  practical  knowledge,  having  myself 
seen  the  dangers,  and  painfully  felt  the  want  of  the  very  kind  of 
information  in  the  guidance  of  a  vessel  in  those  seas  which  our 
commercial  interests  so  much  need,  and  which,  I  suppose,  would 
be  the  object  of  such  an  expedition  as  is  now  under  consideration, 
before  the  committee  of  Congress  to  give.  Indeed,  the  whole  of 
this  business,  it  seems  to  me,  is  a  plain  and  practical  affair.  The 
commerce  of  our  country  has  extended  itself  to  remote  parts  of 
the  world;  is  carried  on  around  islands  and  reefs  not  laid  down 
on  the  charts ;  among  even  groups  of  islands  from  ten  to  sixty  in 
number,  abounding  in  objects  valuable  in  commerce,  but  of  which 
nothing  is  known  accurately ;  no,  not  even  the  sketch  of  a  harbour 
has  been  made,  while  of  such  as  are  inhabited  our  knowledge  is 
still  more  imperfect.  It  would  seem  to  require  no  argument  to 
prove,  that  a  portion  of  our  commerce  might  be  rendered  more 
secure,  and  probably  greatly  increased,  by  vessels  sent,  properly 
prepared,  to  examine  such  islands.  There  are  also  immense  por- 
tions of  the  South  seas,  bordering  on  the  antarctic  circle,  well 
deserving  the  attention  of  such  an  expedition,  especially  during 
the  most  favourable  months  of  the  southern  summer.  Islands 
discovered  in  that  quarter  will  probably  be  found  to  yield  rich 
returns  in  animal -fur.  Indeed,  discoveries  of  this  kind  have  been 
recently  made  by  some  English  whalers,  supposed  to  be  of  great 
extent,  the  vessels  having  sailed  along  three  hundred  miles  of 
coast  lying  south  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  This  may  lead  to 
other  very  interesting  discoveries,  which  will  probably  be  found, 
on  further  examination,  to  be  a  continuation  of  Palmer's  Land, 
lying  south  of  the  South  Shetland  islands,  or  only  separated  from 
it  by  a  narrow  channel.  Much  might  be  said  in  favour  of  a 
speedy  examination  of  this  portion  of  the  South  seas ;  indeed,  I 
hardly  know  where  au  expedition  could  go  where  it  might  not  be 


256  COMMITTEE     ON 

in  the  way  of  doing  good ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  credit  our  country 
would  acquire  in  promoting  such  an  enterprise. 

"  As  to  my  opinion  of  the  class  of  vessels  best  suited  for  such 
an  expedition,  I  should  unhesitatingly  say :  two  brigs  or  barks,  of 
two  hundred  tons  each,  and  a  tender,  of  from  eighty  to  one  hun- 
dred tons.  A  great  many  weighty  reasons  might  be  given  to 
show,  that  if,  in  the  same  ratio,  vessels  were  beyond  this  size,  the 
chances  of  safety  and  extensive  usefulness  would  be  proportion- 
ably  decreased. 

"  Very  respectfully, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"JOHN  DOWNES. 
"  Hon.  JOHN  REED,  Mem.  of  Con." 

In  the  conclusion  of  the  report  alluded  to  by  the  committee  on 
naval  affairs,  dated  February  10,  1828,  (Rep.  209,  1st  sess.  20th 
Cong.)  Mr.  Reynolds  holds  the  following  appropriate  language  : — 

"The  opening  of  the  ports  in  South  America  has  already 
changed  our  course  of  trade  in  the  Pacific  greatly  for  the  better, 
and  will  more  and  more  benefit  us,  if  we  take  care  of  our  rights 
in  those  seas,  and  send  a  sufficient  force  to  protect  our  commerce, 
which,  no  doubt,  it  will  be  the  policy  of  our  government  to  pursue. 

"  To  look  after  the  merchant  there,  to  offer  him  every  possible 
facility,  to  open  new  channels  for  his  enterprise,  and  to  keep  a 
respectable  naval  force  to  protect  him,  is  only  paying  a  debt  we 
owe  to  the  commerce  of  the  country;  for  millions  have  flowed 
into  the  national  treasury  from  this  trade,  before  one  cent  was 
appropriated  for  its  protection. 

"  The  naval  commanders  we  have  sent  into  the  Pacific  have 
done  all  that  wise,  active,  and  experienced  men  could  do.  They 
have  not  only  taught  the  natives  that  we  are  a  powerful  people, 


COMMERCE.  257 

and  could  defend  ourselves  in  that  distant  country  as  well  as  other 
nations,  but  those  new  states  and  empires  which  have  arisen  in 
South  America  have  been  shown  that  we  could  punish  wrongs 
and  enforce  rights,  and  had  the  good  of  mankind,  as  well  as  our 
own  prosperity,  at  heart.  Power,  judiciously  exhibited,  is  the 
great  peacemaker  of  the  world ;  and  a  people  whose  institutions 
are  not  yet  thoroughly  established,  as  those  in  South  America, 
want  looking  after  with  a  steady  eye.  In  attending  to  these  duties, 
it  is  impossible  for  our  naval  commanders  to  explore  those  seas  for 
the  purpose  of  discovering  new  places.  Their  duty  is  to  watch  the 
old ;  and  this  is  a  sufficient  task  for  any  force  we  can  send  there. 

"  The  whale-ships  having  a  specific  object  in  view,  and  gene- 
rally under  strict  orders,  cannot  waste  an  hour  in  the  business  of 
discovery ;  nor  can  they,  consistently  with  their  duties,  stop  a  day 
to  explore  and  examine  what  they  may  accidentally  discover. 
The  Northwest-coast  trader  has  also  a  specific  object,  and  a  more 
direct  path  than  the  whaler. 

"  It  seems  well  understood,  at  this  time,  that  it  is  for  our  interest 
and  for  our  honour  to  be  well  acquainted  with  the  capacities  of  the 
globe ;  to  see  what  resources  can  be  drawn  from  that  great  common 
of  natioris,  the  ocean.  The  enlightened  statesman,  therefore,  sur- 
veys all  parts  of  it  with  the  view  of  opening  new  channels  for 
commerce  and  trade ;  and  he  does  not  refuse  to  advance  them  by 
a  present  expense,  when  coupled  with  the  certainty  of  a  future 
and  a  greater  good. 

********* 

"  No  one  who  has  reflected  on  the  vast  resources  of  the  earth, 
*  which  is  our  inheritance,'  can  doubt  that  a  large  portion  of  it 
contains  many  things  which  may  be  turned  to  good  account  by 
the  enterprise  and  good-management  of  our  people ;  and  those  are 
the  true  profit  of  commerce.  The  great  mass  of  the  intelligence 
of  the  country  is  for  it,  and  is  calling  on  the  national  legislature 
for  aid  in  the  undertaking. 

33 


258  COMMITTEE     ON 

"The  states  whose  legislative  powers  have  sanctioned  it  are 
represented  on  the  floor  of  Congress  by  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
nine  members,  to  say  nothing  of  the  memorials  from  large  cities 
and  other  places ;  and  the  aggregate  of  citizens  of  these  states, 
near  six  millions. 

"  We  have  been  an  industrious,  a  commercial,  and  enterprising 
people,  and  have  taken  advantage  of  the  knowledge  of  others,  as 
well  as  of  their  trade ;  for,  although  oar  entrance  and  clearance, 
without  looking  at  our  immense  coasting-trade,  amounted  to  eight 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-six  vessels,  yet  not  one  of  those 
were  sailed  a  mile  by  a  chart  made  by  us,*  except  we  may  suppose 
that  the  chart  of  George's  banks  may  have  been  used  by  a  few 
of  the  navigators  of  these  vessels.  We  are  dependant  on  other 
nations  for  all  our  nautical  instruments,  as  well  as  charts ;  and,  if 
we  except  Bowditclis  Navigator,,  an  improvement  on  Hamilton 
Moore's  book  of  the  same  kind,  we  have  not  a  nautical  table  or 
book  in  our  navy,  or  among  our  merchantmen,  the  product  of  our 
own  science  and  skill ;  and  we  are  now  among  the  three  first 
commercial  nations  of  the  world,  and  have  more  shipping  and 
commerce  than  all  the  nations  of  Europe  had  together  when 
Columbus  discovered  this  continent,  but  a  little  more  than  three 
centuries  since ;  and  our  navy,  young  as  it  is>  has  more  effective 
force  in  it  than  the  combined  navies  of  the  world  could  have 
amounted  to  at  that  period.  Out  of  the  discovery  of  this  conti- 
nent, and  a  passage  to  the  Indies,  grew  up  the  naval  powers  of 
Europe.  On  the  acquisition  of  the  new  world,  Spain  enlarged  her 
marine ;  France  and  England  theirs,  to  hold  sway  with  Spain ;  and 
that  of  the  Netherlands  sprang  from  the  extent  of  their  trade,  con- 
nected with  the  wise  policy  of  enlarging  and  protecting  it. 

"  Our  commercial  and  national  importance  cannot  be  supported 
without  a  navy;  or  our  navy  without  commerce,  and  a  nursery  for 

*  That  is,  no  chart  has  been  made  under  the  direction  and  at  the  expense  of 
government. 


COMMERCE.  259 

our  seamen.  The  citizens  of  Maine,  of  New  York,  of  Georgia, 
of  Ohio,  and  of  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  are  as  deeply 
interested  in  the  existence  of  our  gallant  navy,  and  the  extension 
of  our  commerce,  as  they  are  interested  in  the  perpetuity  of  our 
institutions  and  the  liberty  of  our  country.  Indeed,  liberty  and 
commerce  have  been  twin-sisters  in  all  past  ages,  and  countries, 
and  times ;  they  have  stood  side  by  side — moved  hand  in  hand. 
Wherever  the  soil  has  been  congenial  to  one,  there  has  flourished 
the  other  also :  in  a  word,  they  have  lived,  they  have  flourished, 
or  they  have  died  together. 

"  Commerce  has  constantly  increased  with  the  knowledge  of 
man ;  yet  it  has  been  undergoing  perpetual  revolutions.  These 
changes  and  revolutions  have  often  mocked  the  vigilance  of  the 
wary,  and  the  calculations  of  the  sagacious ;  but  there  is  now  a 
fundamental  principle  on  which  commerce  is  based,  which  will 
lead  the  intelligent  merchant  and  the  wise  government  to  foresee 
and  prepare  for  most  of  these  changes  ;  and  that  principle  consists 
in  an  intimate  knowledge  of  all  seas,  climates,  islands,  continents, 
of  every  river  and  mountain,  and  every  plain  of  the  globe,  and  all 
their  productions,  and  of  the  nature,  habits,  and  character  of  all 
races  of  men;  and  this  information  should  be  corrected  and  revised 
with  every  season.  '• 

"  The  commercial  nations  of  the  world  have  done  much,  and 
much  remains  to  be  accomplished.  We  stand  a  solitary  instance 
among  those  who  are  considered  commercial,  as  never  having  put 
forth  a  particle  of  strength,  or  expended  a  dollar  of  our  money,  to 
add  to  the  accumulated  stock  of  commercial  and  geographical 
knowledge,  except  in  partially  exploring  our  own  territory. 

"  When  our  naval  commanders  and  hardy  tars  have  achieved  a 
victory  on  the  deep,  they  have  to  seek  our  harbours,  and  conduct 
their  prizes  into  port,  by  tables  and  charts  furnished,  perhaps,  by 
the  very  people  whom  they  have  vanquished. 

"Is  it  honourable  to  the  United  States  to  use  for  ever  the 


260  COMMITTEE      ON 

knowledge  furnished  us  by  others,  to  teach  us  how  to  shun  a  rock, 
escape  a  shoal,  or  find  a  harbour,  and  add  nothing  to  the  great 
mass  of  information  that  previous  ages  and  other  nations  have 
brought  to  our  hands  ? 

l'  Tyre,  Greece,  Carthage,  Venice,  Florence,  whose  commerce 
has  ceased,  and  whose  opulence  is  gone  for  ever,  have  still  left 
the  historic  glory  of  having  shown  succeeding  ages  the  way  to 
wealth,  and  honour,  and  power,  by  means  of  knowledge.  The 
ancient  commercial  and  naval  monuments  are  theirs,  and  every 
niche  of  the  modern  temple  of  Neptune  is  filled  by  others — not 
ourselves.  The  exports,  and,  more  emphatically,  the  imports  of 
the  United  States,  her  receipts  and  expenditures,  are  written  on 
every  pillar  erected  by  commerce,  on  every  sea,  and  in  every 
clime ;  but  the  amount  of  her  subscription-stock,  to  erect  these 
pillars,  and  for  the  advancement  of  knowledge,  is  nowhere  to 
be  found » 

"  To  open  new  sources  of  traffic,  and  of  commercial  wealth,  has 
gratified  the  pride,  as  well  as  'the  avarice  of  man,  in  every  age ; 
and  the  adventurous  deeds  by  which  this  has  been  achieved,  have 
been  commemorated  by  every  historian,  poet,  and  even  fabulist, 
in  all  past  times;  for  the  Argonautic  expedition  for  the  golden 
fleece,  as  givq^i  us  by  the  poets  and  mythologists,  is  only  in  the 
form  of  a  generous  and  munificent  commemoration  of  the  voyage 
of  one  who.  ventured  much  to  open  a  new  path  to  commerce,  for 
the  aggrandizement  of  his  own  country. 

,  "  We  have  been  plundered  by  the  English  and  the  French,  by 
Spaniards  and  Neapolitans,  Danes,  Norwegians,,  and  the  Barbary 
powers,  while  our  commerce  was  extended  every  where,  and  pro- 
tected nowhere.  Some  of  these  insults  and  depredations  have 
been  settled  for,  and  others  are  quietly,  but  surely,  approximating 
to  a  day  of  restitution  or  retribution.  The  spirit  of  the  nation  is 
aroused  on  these  subjects,  and  can  never  sleep  again  :  honour, 
iustice,  feeling,  conscious  of  physical  strength,  all  forbid  it. 


COMMERCE.  261 

"  Have  we  not,  then,  reached  a  degree  of  mental  strength  that 
will  enable  us  to  find  our  way  about  the  globe  without  leading- 
strings  ?  And  are  we  for  ever  to  take  the  highway  others  have 
laid  out  for  us,  and  fixed  with  milestones  and  guideboards  ?  Per- 
mit me  to  conclude,  in  humble  imitation  of  the  great  discoverer  of 
this  continent  to  his  patrons  :  We  fear  no  storms,  na  icebergs,  no 
monsters  of  the  deep,  in  any  sea ;  we  will  conduct  ourselves  with 
prudence,  and  discretion,  and  judgment ;  and,  if  we  succeed,  the 
glory  and  profit  will  be  yours ;  if  we  perish  in  our  attempts,  we 
alone  shall  suffer,  for  the  very  inquiry  after  us  will  redound  to 
your  honour. 

«  J.  N.  REYNOLDS." 

"  NOTE. — Since  I  prepared  the  above  answer  to  your  letter  of 
inquiry,  I  have  examined  the  clear  and  impressive  memorial  from 
the  town  of  Nantucket,  which  fully  confirms  every  statement  I 
have  made  in  regard  to  the  extent  of  the  whale-fishery,  although 
drawn  from  different  sources.  This  memorial  is  not  only  clear 
and  conclusive,  as  to  the  extent  and  value  of  this  important  busi- 
ness, but  presents  many  other  important  facts.  The  memorial 
speaks  the  most  emphatic  language  to  every  patriot  and  philan- 
thropist, as  well  as  to  every  legislator  in  our  country,  in  the  fol 
lowing  quotation : — 

r:^  3  ^v. 

" '  The  great  and  increasing  extent  of  the  voyages  now  pursued 
by  the  trading  and  whaling  ships  into  seas  but  little  explored,  and 
in  parts  of  the  world  before  unknown,  has  increased  the  cares,  the 
dangers,  and  the  losses  of  our  merchants  and  mariners.  Within 
a  few  years,  these  cruises  have  extended  from  the  coasts  of  Peru 
and  Chili  to  the  Northwest  coast,  New  Zealand,  and  the  isles  of 
Japan.  This  increase  of  risk  has  been  attended  by  an  increase 
of  loss.  Several  vessels  have  been  wrecked  on  islands  and  reefs 
not  laid  down  on  any  chart :  and  the  matter  acquires  a  painful 


262  COMMITTEE     ON 

interest  from  the  fact,  that  many  ships  have  gone  into  those  seas, 
and  no  soul  has   survived  to  tell  their  fate.' 


"  This  memorial,  coming  from  an  intelligent,  hardy,  and  enter- 
prising people,  who  have,  for  more  than  thirty  years,  carried  on 
this  fishery,  so  profitable  to  our  country,  without  repining  at  any 
difficulties  they  have  encountered,  or  without  soliciting  aid  until 
the  country  was  able  to  afford  it,  should,  and  will  have,  its  effects 
on  the  representatives  of  the  nation  in  Congress.  National  and 
individual  interests  they  are  bound  to  regard  at  all  times ;  but  I 
trust  these  claims  will  be  more  promptly  attended  to,  when  the 
additional  facts  are  made  known  to  them ;  and  they  are  assured 
that  many  of  our  fearless  navigators  are  now,  probably,  wasting  a 
wretched  existence  on  some  desolate  island,  in  these  immense  seas, 
waiting,  in  prayerful  hope,  that  the  generosity  of  the  nation  will 
be  aroused  to  send  in  search  of  them,  and  that,  in  some  distant 
day,  they  shall  see  their  country  and  their  homes,  and  be  restored 
to  the  bosoms  of  their  families  and  friends.  They  have  read  or 
heard  that  the  French  government  sent  expedition  after  expedition, 
to  seek  for  Perouse  and  his  missing  vessels ;  and  can  they  for  a 
moment  imagine,  that  those  they  had  left  at  home  are  less  gener- 
ous and  philanthropic  than  the  people  of  France,  or  of  any  other 
nation  ?  They  cannot :  for  they  will  remember — and  who  can 
forget  it  ? — that,  in  our  days  of  small  things,  the  whole  country 
was  in  agitation  by  the  captivity  of  a  few  American  citizens,  by 
the  powers  of  Barbary,  and  the  expense  of  liberating  them  was 
spontaneously  proffered  by  the  American  people.  And  will  not 
this  same  people  be  willing  that  the  nation  should  do  some- 
thing to  ascertain  the  fate  of  those  enterprising  navigators  who 
are,  probably,  on  some  reef  or  island,  sustaining  life  as 
they  can? 

"In  this  matter,  every  thing  conspires  to  urge  us  forward  at 
this  time.  The  advantages  of  commerce  to  science  and  national 


COMMERCE.  263 

glory  seem  now  to  be   sealed,   and  sanctified  by  the  calls  of 
humanity  and  imperious  duty. 

"  I  wish  not  to  be  importunate,  nor  do  I  fear  that  I  am :  for  the 
accumulated  weight  of  circumstances  are  above  all  argument  or 
entreaty,  as  they  strike  the  heart  and  the  understanding  at  the 
same  time. 

"As  these  things  came  crowding  upon  my  mind,  I  had  nearly 
forgotten  another  important  fact,  which  will  be  supported  by  the 
able  and  experienced  representative  of  the  district  of  which  Nan- 
tucket  makes  a  part ;  and  that  is,  that  there  are  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  islands,  reefs,  and  shoals,  known  to  our  whale- 
men, not  laid  down  in  any  chart.  Around  these  islands,  reefs, 
and  shoals,  are  floating  nearly  forty  thousand  tons  of  shipping, 
engaged  in  a  trade  of  great  national  concern,  with  an  immense 
amount  in  property  and  lives,  all  of  which  are  at  the  mercy  of  the 
winds  and  waves. 

"  If  this  be  so — and  who  can  doubt  their  honesty  ? — should  they 
not  be  surveyed  ?  The  future  safety  of  our  mariners  demands 
it;  the  advancement  of  commerce  and  our  navigating  interests 
demand  it ;  the  people  demand  it ;  and  our  national  honour  cannot 
suffer  this  fact  to  go  abroad,  and  not  carry  with  it  the  probability 
of  some  effort  for  future  information  and  security,  i 

«J.  N.  R." 


"WASHINGTON,  February  26,  1828. 

"  SIR  :  The  committee  on  naval  affairs,  in  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives, through  their  chairman,  have  recently  addressed  me  a 
note,  requesting  my  views  of  the  character,  value,  and  extent  of 
our  trade  in  the  South  seas  and  Pacific'  ocean. 

"  A  reply  to  that  letter  is  herewith  enclosed  for  your  perusal ; 
and  as  you  have  recently  been  in  the  Pacific,  on  official  duty,  and 
have  improved  the  favourable  opportunity  you  had  of  acquiring 


264  COMMITTEE     ON     COMMERCE. 

much  useful  information  in  relation  to  our  important  and  growing 
commerce  there,  I  would  thank  you  to  inform  me,  in  writing,  how 
far  your  own  views  extend  in  corroboration  of  the  report  I  am 
about  to  submit  to  the  consideration  of  the  committee. 

"  Be  pleased  to  accept  the  assurance  of  the  high  consideration 
with  which  I  am,  sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"J.N.REYNOLDS. 

KTo  Captain  THOMAS  AP  CATESBY  JONES, 
"  United  States  Navy." 

"WASHINGTON,  February  28,  1828. 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  I  have  received  and  read,  with  great  satisfaction,  the  memorial  which 
you  did  me  the  honour  to  submit  for  my  perusal.  My  recent  cruise  to  the  Pacific  ocean, 
in  the  course  of  which  I  spent  some  time  among  the  Society,  Sandwich,  and  other 
islands,  afforded  me  a  good  opportunity  of  seeing,  in  partial  operation,  most  of  the 
branches  of  commerce,  the  advantages  of  which  you  so  clearly  demonstrate  in  your 
address  to  the  committee  on  naval  affairs. 

"That  there  is  a  great  field  open  for  national  enterprise  hi  the  region  to  which  you 
have  invited  the  attention  of  the  American  people,  cannot  be  doubted ;  and  I  accord 
most  heartily  with  you  that  such  a  voyage  as  you  contemplate  would  open  to  our  com- 
mercial, and,  of  course,  national  interests  sources  of  great  wealth,  which  cannot  be 
brought  into  action  without  the  protecting  aid  of  government. 

"  That  success  may  crown  your  most  laudable  exertions,  is  the  wish  of,  sir, 
"Your  obedient  servant, 

"  THOMAS  AP  CATESBY  JONES. 

"  To  J.  N.  REYNOLDS,  Esq." 

The  committee,  having  thus  fully  presented  the  views  and  wishes  of  the  memo- 
rialists, and  noted  the  legislative  action  hithert9  had  upon  the  subject,  deem  it  un- 
necessary to  go  into  any  prolonged  arguments,  in  the  conclusion  of  their  report. 

Other  nations  have  deemed  it  wise  to  protect  their  fisheries,  at  all  hazards,  and  by 
heavy  expenditures.  Some  have  sent  out  voyages  of  discovery,  that  had  little  or  no 
commerce  to  be  benefited.  Previous  to  the  year  1770,  the  English,  in  their  strenuous 
efforts  to  compete  with  the  Dutch  in  the  Northern  whale-fishery,  had  paid,  in  boun- 
ties, not  less  than  three  millions  of  dollars ;  and  down  to  the  year  1786,  the  aggre- 
gate amount  of  bounty  paid  was  not  less  than  six  millions  three  hundred  and  thirty 
thousand  dollars. 

The  American  fishermen  have  received  no  bounty,  and  they  are  now  pursuing  their 
avocation  in  seas  beyond  the  reach  of  ordinary  protection.  That  places  of  refresh- 
ment may  be  examined,  new  channels  of  trade  opened,  and  dangers  pointed  out, 
seems  not  only  reasonable  and  just,  but  called  for  by  considerations  of  public  inter- 
est; and  it  is  believed  that  this  can  be  best  accomplished  by  sending  out  small 
vessels  expressly  provided  for  this  duty;  while  the  demand  on  the  public  treasury 
will  be  small,  compared  with  the  good  which  may  be  accomplished. 

In  like  manner,  in  addition  to  the  specific  objects  to  be  attained  by  an  expedition,  many 
collateral  advantages  may  be  secured  to  the  whaler  and  trafficker  in  the  Pacific,  and 
the  sealer  in  the  higher  latitudes  south. 

While  your  committee,  in  coming  to  their  conclusion  in  favour  of  recommending  an 
expedition  such  as  has  been  prayed  for  by  the  memorialists,  have  been  influenced  solely 
by  commercial  views,  and  place  the  policy  of  the  measure  solely  on  these  grounds,  they 
are  not  indifferent  to  the  valuable  fund  of  knowledge  which  may  be  gathered  during  the 
voyage,  and  which,  properly  analyzed  and  written  out,  may  be  interesting,  not  only  to 
the  American  people,  but  to  the  whole  civilized  world. 

Your  committee  therefore  report  a  bill. 


REPORT 


OP  THK 


COMMITTEE   ON  NAVAL   AFFAIRS. 


March  21,  1836.— Mr.  SOUTHARD,  from  the  Committee  on  N.  Affairs,  made  the  follow- 
ing report: — 

The  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs  to  whom  was  referred  a  memorial 
from  sundry  citizens  of  Connecticut,  interested  in  the  whale-fishery 
praying  that  an  exploring  expedition  be  fated  out  to  the  Pacific  ocean 
and  South  seas,  report : — 

THAT  the  subject  of  this  memorial,  in  the  opinion  of  your  com- 
mittee, merits  immediate  attention,  and  the  exercise  of  an  enlight- 
ened liberality  on  the  part  of  Congress.  The  whole  of  the  facts 
and  reasoning  upon  which  this  opinion  is  founded,  cannot  be  em- 
braced within  the  ordinary  limits  of  a  report,  and  the  committee, 
therefore,  content  themselves  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty,  by  a 
reference  to  a  few  historical  facts,  and  an  allusion  to  some  of  the 
arguments  which  have  satisfied  their  own  minds  that  it  is  wise  and 
expedient  to  provide,  by  law,  for  an  exploring  expedition  to  the 
Pacific  ocean  and  South  seas. 

Such  an  expedition  has  been  an  object  of  solicitude  with  a  large 
number  of  intelligent  and  enterprising  citizens,  for  many  years 
past,  and  has  been  repeatedly  urged  upon  the  attention  of  Con- 
gress by  petitions  and  memorials  from  those  whose  interests  were 
most  directly  concerned— by  resolutions  and  other  expressions  of 
opinion  of  legislative  bodies  and  assemblies  of  citizens  in  several 
of  the  states,  and  by  reports  from  the  Navy  Department  and  mes- 
sages from  the  Executive  of  the  United  States. 
M  34 


266  COMMITTEE     ON 

Eight  years  since  this  subject  was  examined  by  a  committee  of 
the  House  of  Representatives,  and  specially  referred  to  the  con- 
sideration and  attention  of  the  Navy  Department.  That  depart- 
ment had  looked  with  anxiety  to  our  commerce  in  the  Pacific,  and 
required  from  our  naval  officers  such  reports  respecting  its  extent 
and  condition,  as  might  be  a  safe  guide  in  discharging  the  obliga- 
tion of  the  government  to  protect  it.  These  reports  confirmed  the 
views  which  had  been  previously  entertained,  and  prepared  the 
department  to  urge  the  measure  upon  the  favourable  consideration 
of  Congress. 

At  the  subsequent  session  renewed  attention  was  paid  to  it,  and 
a  bill  was  proposed,  but  did  not  become  a  law.  In  consequence 
of  its  failure,  two  resolutions  were  passed  by  the  House,  declaring 
it  expedient  that  one  of  the  small  public  vessels  be  sent  to  the 
Pacific  ocean  and  South  seas,  to  examine  the  coasts,  islands,  har- 
bours, shoals,  and  reefs,  in  those  seas,  and  to  ascertain  their  true 
situation  and  description ;  and  requesting  the  President  to  send 
such  a  vessel  and  afford  such  facilities  as  might  be  within  the 
reach  of  the  Navy  Department,  to  attain  the  objects  proposed,  pro- 
vided it  could  be  done  without  prejudice  to  the  general  interest  of 
the  naval  service,  and  without  further  appropriations  during  the 
year.  Suitable  attention  was  paid  to  the  duty  assigned  by  these 
resolutions,  and  what  had  been  done  communicated  to  Congress 
at  the  subsequent  session,  at  which  a  bill  passed  one  house  of 
Congress  to  carry  the  object  into  execution,  but  was  lost  by  causes 
which  it  is  not  now  necessary  to  explain. 

From  that  period  until  the  last  session,  there  was  no  im- 
portant movement  or  action  upon  the  subject.  At  that  time 
a  committee  of  the  house,  after  full  inquiry,  made  a  report  in  fa- 
vour of  the  expedition,  which  is  worthy  the  attention  of  those 
who  desire  to  form  a  well-advised  opinion  upon  the  measure  pro- 
posed. 

The  committee  think  it  proper  to  annex  to  their  report,  as  a 


NAVAL     AFFAIRS.  267 

part  thereof,  and  for  the  better  illustration  of  the  subject,  the  sev- 
eral reports  and  other  documents  to  which  they  refer. 

The  duty  of  Congress  to  extend,  secure,  and  protect  every  por- 
tion of  our  commerce,  has  long  since  ceased  to  be  matter  for  de- 
bate. There  is  but  one  opinion  upon  that  point.  This  duty  be- 
comes more  imperative,  in  proportion  to  the  value  of  any  particu- 
lar portion,  and  the  difficulties  and  dangers  to  which  it  is  subjected. 

No  part  of  the  commerce  of  this  country  is  more  important  than 
that  which  is  carried  on  in  the  Pacific  ocean.  It  is  large  in 
amount  Not  less  than  $12,000,000  of  capital  are  invested  in  and 
actively  employed  by  one  branch  of  the  whale-fishery  alone  ;  and 
in  the  whole  trade  there  is,  directly  and  indirectly,  involved  not 
less  than  fifty  to  seventy  millions  of  property.  In  like  manner 
from  170  to  200,000  tons  of  our  shipping,  and  from  9  to  12,000 
of  our  seamen  are  employed,  amounting  to  about  one  tenth  of  the 
whole  navigation  of  the  Union.  Its  results  are  profitable.  It  ia, 
to  a  great  extent,  not  a  mere  exchange  of  commodities,  but  the 
creation  of  wealth,  by  labour,  from  the  ocean.  The  fisheries  alone 
produce,  at  this  time,  an  annual  income  of  from  five  to  six  millions 
of  dollars  ;  and  it  is  not  possible  to  look  at  Nantucket,  New  Bed- 
ford, New  London,  Sag  Harbour,  and  a  large  number  of  other  dis- 
tricts upon  our  Northern  coasts,  without  the  deep  conviction  that 
it  is  an  employment  alike  beneficial  to  the  moral,  political,  and 
commercial  interests  of  our  fellow-citizens. 

It  is  a  nursery  for  seamen  for  which  no  substitute  can  be  found  ; 
eminently  fitted  to  form  precisely  such  men  as  the  nation  requires 
for  times  of  trial  and  struggle.  The  voyages  are  long ;  every  cli- 
mate is  encountered  ;  every  sea,  calm  or  tempestuous,  is  traversed, 
and  a  discipline  and  subordination  enforced,  which  create  a  class 
of  men  unsurpassed,  if  they  are  equalled,  by  any  who  have  ever 
made  the  ocean  their  dwelling-place.  They  are  adventurous  and 
persevering — hardened  by  toil  and  danger — bold,  watchful,  and 
skilful.  If  the  encouragement  and  protection  of  government 


268  COMMITTEE     ON 

should  be  extended  to  any  portion  of  our  citizens,  these  have 
claims  which  cannot  be  overlooked.  It  is  to  this  view  of  the  sub- 
ject that. the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs  have  directed  their  most 
anxious  attention. 

The  commerce  of  the  Pacific  may  be  greatly  extended  in  all  its 
departments.  Of  the  rapidity  of  its  growth  there  is  abundant  evi- 
dence in  the  records  of  the  departments  of  our  government,  and 
the  theatre  for  its  enlargement  is  most  ample ;  but  it  requires  aid 
and  encouragement. 

No  part  of  our  commerce  is  so  much  exposed  to  hazard  and 
peril.  That  portion  of  the  globe  is  less  known,  and  the  ocean 
more  filled  with  dangers  than  any  other  that  our  seamen  visit. 
There  are  hundreds  of  islands,  reefs,  and  shoals,  unmarked  upon 
any  chart,  and  unknown  to  common  navigators.  Their  location, 
situation,  facilities  for  commerce,  are  yet  to  be  explored  and  ex- 
hibited to  the  world.  Many  of  those  islands  are  inhabited  by 
savages,  who  render  access  to  them  dangerous,  and  whom  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  government  to  conciliate.  The  loss  of  property  and 
life  in  that  region  has  been  immense.  The  committee  refer  to 
the  accompanying  documents  to  illustrate  some  of  the  facts  upon 
these  points ;  and  they  do  not  hesitate  to  believe  that  an  examina- 
tion of  them  will  satisfy  the  senate  of  the  policy  and  necessity  of 
the  measure  which  they  propose. 

But  the  committee  have  also  been  influenced  by  other  consid- 
erations, connected  with  the  duty  which  the  government  and  the 
nation  owe  to  its  own  character,  and  the  common  cause  of  all 
civilized  nations — the  extension  of  useful  knowledge  of  the  globe 
which  we  inhabit.  Every  other  nation,  which  possesses  either  a 
commercial  or  military  marine,  has  made  contributions  to  this 
knowledge,  which  have  benefited  the  rest -of  mankind,  and  given  to 
themselves  the  most  enviable  of  all  kinds  of  national  glory ;  and, 
by  unanimous  consent,  those  who  are  engaged  in  it  are  freed  from 
the  perils  of  war;  and  receive,  even  from  the  hands  of  enemies, 


NAVAL      AFFAIRS.  269 

protection,  countenance,  support ;  a  homage  paid  by  Christian  na- 
tions to  science,  knowledge,  and  civilization.  It  is,  in  truth,  an 
employment  of  peace  and  humanity. 

Enterprising,  beyond  all  others,  as  our  own  citizens  are,  much 
as  they  have  individually  given  to  this  cause,  the  nation  and  gov- 
ernment have  yet  contributed  nothing.  The  committee  believe 
that  this  state  of  things  should  no  longer  exist,  but  that  an  effort 
should  now  be  made  on  a  scale  commensurate  with  the  value  of 
the  object.  And  they  look  to  the  Pacific  ocean  and  South  seas  as 
the  proper  theatre  for  exertion.  They  are  less  known  than  other 
portions  of  the  great  deep ;  they  are  filled  with  more  difficulties 
and  dangers  ;  greater  and  more  splendid  and  profitable  results  may 
be  anticipated  there  than  elsewhere ;  and  the  theatre  is  peculiarly 
our  own,  from  position  and  the  course  of  human  events.  Christian 
and  civilized  Europe,  in  the  spirit  of  discovery  and  enterprise, 
gave  our  continent  to  the  world ;  we  may  repay  them,  in  part,  by 
a  more  accurate  knowledge  of  the  Still  unexplored  regions  of  the 
southern  hemisphere. 

The  committee  recommend  an  expenditure  which  shall  be  en- 
tirely equal  to  the  importance  of  the  enterprise,  and  afford  the  best 
security  for  success,  and  for  those  practical  results  which  shall  be 
most  honourable  and  useful.  The  expedition  should  be  naval  in 
its  character ;  a  portion  of  the  means  under  the  control  of  the 
Navy  Department  should  be  applied  to  it,  and  it  should  be  fitted 
out  and  conducted  under  its  auspices.  The  committee  think  it 
ought  to  consist  of  two  vessels  of  about  two  hundred  tons  burden, 
for  exploration ;  one,  of  about  one  hundred  tons,  as  a  tender ;  and 
a  store  or  provision  ship  of  competent  dimensions ;  arid  these  ac- 
companied by  a  sloop  of  war,  to  afford  protection,  and  secure 
peaceful  and  friendly  relations  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands. 
The  smaller  vessels  may  either  be  purchased,  or  built  of  materials 
which  are  in  our  navy  yards,  and  a  large  proportion  of  the  expense 
may  be  met  by  our  naval  means  and  facilities,  without  the  slight- 


270  COMMITTEE     ON     NAVAL     AFFAIRS. 

est  encroachment  upon  the  interests  of  the  service.  It  should  be 
attended,  also,  by  naval  officers  and  citizens  well  qualified  in  the 
appropriate  departments  of  science,  to  bring  back  the  most  accu- 
rate results  of  the  examinations  which  may  be  made. 

But  the  committee  do  not  think  it  necessary  or  expedient  to  pre- 
scribe, in  the  law  which  may  be  passed,  either  the  dimensions  or 
the  character  of  the  vessels,  or  the  number  and  qualifications  of  the 
persons  who  shall  be  employed  j  nor  can  they  exhibit,  by  precise 
estimates,  the  exact  sum  which  shall  be  expended.  These  are 
matters  which  must,  to  some  extent,  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  the 
Executive,  who  will  carry  the  will  of  Congress  into  execution. 
If  the  amount  which  shall  not  be  exceeded  be  fixed  by  the  law, 
no  possible  evil  can  result.  Every  imaginable  motive  which  can 
influence  the  preparation  for,  and  prosecution  of,  the  proposed  en- 
terprise, will  be  on  the  side  of  economy  and  efficiency. 

The  Committee  report  a  bill  to  authorize  an  expedition 


REPORT,   AMENDMENTS, 

AND  FINAL  PASSAGE  OP  THE  BILL, 

AUTHORIZING   THE 

SURVEYING  AND  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION 

TO   THE 

PACIFIC  OCEAN  AND  SOUTH  SEAS. 


The  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs  in  the  senate  were  unanimous 
in  their  report,  made  March  21,  1836.  The  committee  was  com- 
posed of  the 

Hon.  SAMUEL  L.  SOUTHARD,  of  New  Jersey,  chairman 

Hon.  N.  P.  TALLMADGE,  of  New  York, 

Hon.  JOHN  BLACK,  of  Mississippi, 

Hon.  ASHER  ROBBINS,  of  Rhode  Island, 

Hon.  ALFRED  CUTHBERT,  of  Georgia. 

The  following  abstract,  taken  from  the  journal  of  the  senate 
and  house  of  representatives,  will  afford  a  concise  history  of  the 
passage  of  the  bill  through  both  branches  of  congress. 

IN  SENATE,  March  21. 

Mr.  Southard,  from  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs,  to  whom 
was  referred  a  memorial  from  sundry  citizens  of  Connecticut,  in- 
terested in  the  whale  fishery,  praying  that  an  exploring  expedition 
may  be  fitted  out  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  South  Seas,  made 
a  report,  accompanied  by  a  bill,  to  provide  for  an  exploring 
expedition. 

The  bill  was  read,  and  passed  to  the  second  reading. 


272  PASSAGE     OF 

Ordered,  That  the  report  be  printed,  together  with  the  accom- 
panying documents. 

Ordered,  That  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs  be  discharged 
from  the  further  consideration  of  the  memorial  of  Edmund  Fanning, 

IN  SENATE,  April  26. 

Qn  motion  by  Mr.  Southard,  the  senate  proceeded  to  consider, 
as  in  Committee  of  the  Whole,  the  bill  making  appropriations  for 
the  naval  service  for  the  year  1836  ;  and,  after  progress,  on  motion 
by  Mr.  Calhoun, 

Ordered,  That  it  lie  on  the  table. 

April  27. 

On  motion  by  Mr.  Southard,  the  senate  resumed,  as  in  Com- 
mittee of  the  Whole,  the  consideration  of  the  bill,  entitled  "An 
act  making  appropriations  for  the  naval  service  for  the  year  1836," 
together  with  the  amendments  reported  thereto ;  and  the  bill  hav- 
ing been  amended,  it  was  reported  to  the  Senate. 

On  the  question  to  concur  in  the  following  amendment,  viz : 
section  one,  lines  seven  and  eight,  strike  out  "one  million  nine 
hundred  and  seventy-four  thousand  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight 
dollars  and  ninety-one  cents,"  and  insert  "  two  millions  four  hun- 
dred and  ninety-two  thousand  and  forty  dollars  and  forty -one 
cents."  It  was  determined  in  the  affirmative — yeas  37,  nays  5. 

On  motion  by  Mr.  Hill,  the  yeas  and  nays  being  desired  by 
one-fifth  of  the  senators  present,  those  who  voted  in  the  affirmative, 
are  :  Messrs.  Benton,  Black,  Brown,  Buchanan,  Clayton,  Cuthbert, 
Davis,  Ewing  of  Illinois,  Goldsborough,  Grundy,  Hendricks,  Hub- 
bard,  King  of  Alabama,  Knight,  Leigh,  Linn,  McKean,  Mangum, 
Morris,  Nicholas,  Niles,  Porter,  Prentiss,  Preston,  Rives,  Robbins, 
Robinson,  Ruggles,  Shepley,  Southard,  Swift,  Tipton,  Tomlinson, 
Walker,  Webster,  White,  Wright. 

Those  who  voted  in  the  negative,  are :  Messrs,  Ewing  of  Ohio, 
Hill,  King  of  Georgia,  Moore,  Naudain. 


THE      BILL.  273 

The  other  amendments  being  concurred  in,  on  the  question, 
"  Shall  the  amendment  be  engrossed,  and  the  bill  read  a  third 
time  ?"  It  was  determined  in  the  affirmative — yeas  41,  nay  1 

On  motion  by  Mr.  Hill,  the  yeas  and  nays  being  desired  by 
one-fifth  of  the  Senators  present,  those  who  voted  in  the  affirma- 
tive, are :  Messrs.  Benton,  Black,  Brown,  Buchanan,  Calhoun, 
Clayton,  Cuthbert,  Davis,  Ewing  of  Illinois,  Ewing  of  Ohio, 
Goldsborough,  Grundy,  Hendricks,  Hubbard,  King  of  Alabama, 
King  of  Georgia,  Knight,  Leigh,  Linn,  McKean,  Mangum,  Moore, 
Morris,  Naudain,  Nicholas,  Niles,  Porter,  Prentiss,  Preston,  Rob- 
bins,  Robinson,  Ruggles,  Shepley,  Southard,  Swift,  Tipton,  Tom- 
linson,  Walker,  Webster,  White,  Wright. 

Mr.  Hill  voted  in  the  negative.     So  it  was 

Ordered,  That  the  amendments  be  engrossed,  and  the  bill  read 
a  third  time. 

This  bill  (No.  53)  originated,  as  is  usual,  in  the  lower  house, 
and  contained  provisions  for  the  naval  service  for  the  year  1836. 
To  it,  various  amendments  were  made  in  the  senate,  the  last  of 
which  provided  for  the  expedition,  and  was  as  follows  : 

And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  an  exploring  expedition  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean  and  South  Seas  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby,  author- 
ized and  directed;  and  that  the  President  of  the  United  States  be, 
and  he  is  hereby,  authorized  to  prepare  and  send  out  for  that  pur- 
pose a  sloop  of  war,  and  to  purchase  or  provide  such  other  smaller 
vessels  as  may  be  necessary  and  proper  to  render  the  said  expe- 
dition efficient  and  useful. 

And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  use  of  so  much  of  the 
appropriations  for  the  support  of  the  navy,  and  of  the  means  and 
facilities  under  the  control  of  the  Navy  Department,  as  may^be 
necessary  and  proper  for  that  object,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby, 
authorized ;  and,  in  addition  thereto,  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby,  appropriated, 
out  of  any  money  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated. 

35 


274  PASSAGE     OF 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  April  28. 

The  amendments  of  the  senate  to  the  bill  (No.  53)  entitled  "An 
act  making  appropriations  for  the  naval  service  for  the  year  1836," 
were  read,  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs. 

May  4. 

Mr.  Jarvis,  from  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs,  to  which  were 
referred  the  amendments  of  the  senate  to  the  bill  (No.  53)  entitled 
"  An  act  making  appropriations  for  the  naval  service  of  the  United 
States  for  the  year  1836,"  reported  the  same  with  amendments. 

Order ed>  That  the  said  amendments  be  committed  to  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  whole  House  on  the  state  of  the  Union. 

A  motion  was  then  made  by  Mr.  Jarvis,  that  the  house  do  re- 
solve itself  into  a  Committee  ^of  the  whole  House  on  the  state  of 
the  Union,  for  the  purpose  of  proceeding  in  the  consideration  of 
the  amendments  of  the  senate  to  the  bill  (No.  53)  entitled  "  An  act 
making  appropriations  for  the  naval  service  for  the  year  1836." 

A  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Vinton,  that  the  house  do  adjourn. 
And  the  question  being  put,  it  was  decided  in  the  negative — yeas 
59,  nays  78. 

The  question  was  then  put  on  the  motion  made  by  Mr.  Jarvis ; 
when  a  quorum  did  not  vote. 

A  motion  was  then  made  that  the  house  do  adjourn ;  which  was 
decided  in  the  negative. 

And  the  question  was  again  put  on  the  motion  made  by  Mr. 
Jarvis  ;  when  a  quorum  did  not  vote. 

And  then  the  house  adjourned  (at  five  o'clock  P.  M.)  until  to- 
morrow>  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.. 

May  5. 

The  house,  by  consent,  resolved  itself  into  a  Committee  of 
the  whole  House  on  the  state  of  the  Union ;  and,  after  some  time 
spent  therein,  the  Speaker  resumed  the  chair,  and  Mr.  Mann,  of 
New  York,  reported  that  the  committee  had,  according  to  order, 


THE     BILL.  275 

had  the  state  of  the  Union,  generally,  under  consideration,  particu- 
larly the  amendments  of  the  senate  to  the  bill  (No.  53)  entitled 
"  An  act  making  appropriations  for  the  naval  service  of  the  United 
States  for  the  year  1836,"  and  that  the  committee  had  agreed  to 
the  first,  third,  fourth,  tenth,  twelfth,  and  thirteenth  of  said  amend- 
ments, with  an  amendment  to  each ;  that  the  committee  had 
agreed  to  the  second,  fifth,  sixth,  seventh,  ninth,, and  eleventh, 
without  amendment ;  and  that  the  committee  had  disagreed  to  the 
eighth  of  the  said  amendments. 

The  house  then  proceeded  to  the  consideration  of  the  amend- 
ments of  the  senate  to  the  said  bill ;  when  the  second,  fifth,  sixth, 
seventh,  ninth,  and  eleventh  were  concurred  in;  and  the  amend- 
ments reported  from  the  Committee  of  the  whole  House  on  the 
state  of  the  Union,  to  the  first,  third,  fourth,  tenth,  and  twelfth  of 
said  amendments,  were  concurred  in  by  the  house ;  and  the  said 
amendments  were  then  agreed  to  as  amended. 

The  house  then  concurred  with  the  Committee  of  the  whole 
House  on  the  state  of  the  Union,  in  its  disagreement  to  the  eighth 
amendment  of  the  senate  to  the  said  bill. 

And  the  question  recurred  on  concurring  with  the  Committee  of 
the  whole  House  on  the  state  of  the  Union,  in  its  amendment  to 
the  thirteenth  amendment  of  the  Senate. 

And  after  debate,  the  hour  fixed  by  the  order  of  the  1st  of  April, 
for  the  consideration  of  bills  relating  to  the  District  of  Columbia, 
arrived ;  when  a  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Cambreleng,  that  the 
house  do  continue  the  consideration  of  the  business  before  it,  and 
that  Saturday  next  be  appropriated  exclusively  to  the  business  of 
the  District  of  Columbia ;  this  motion  was  disagreed  to  by  the  house, 

A  motion  was  then  made  by  Mr.  Cambreleng,  that  the  rules  in 
relation  to  the  priority  of  business  be  suspended,  and  that  the 
execution  of  the  special  order  for  bills  relating  to  the  District  of 
Columbia  be  postponed  during  this  day,  and  that  the  house  do 
continue  the  consideration;  of  the  amendments  of  the  senate  to  the 


276  PASSAGE     OF 

bill  (No.  53)  making  appropriations  for  the  naval  service  for  the 
year  1836. 

A  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Mercer  to  amend  this  motion,  by 
adding  thereto  as  follows :  "  And  that  Monday  next,  after  twelve 
o'clock,  be  assigned  for  business  relating  to  the  District  of  Co- 
lumbia." 

A  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Graves  to  amend  this  motion  to 
amend,  by  striking  out  "twelve  o'clock,"  and  inserting  "one 
o'clock :"  this  amendment  was  disagreed  to. 

And  the  question  was  put  on  the  motion  to  amend  made  by  Mr. 
Mercer,  and  was  decided  in  the  negative. 

The  question  was  then  put  on  the  motion  made  by  Mr.  Cam- 
breleng,  when  there  appeared — yeas  114,  nays  68.  Two-thirds 
not  voting  in  the  affirmative,  the  motion  was  lost. 

The  house  then,  in  execution  of  the  order  of  therlst  of  April, 
resolved  itself  into  a  Committee  of  the  Whole  House  on  the  bill 
from  the  senate  (No.  112)  entitled  "An  act  for  the  relief  of  the 
several  corporate  cities  of  the  District  of  Columbia." 

May  9. 

The  house  resumed  the  consideration  of  the  amendments  of  the 
senate  to  the  bill  (No.  53)  entitled  "  An  act  making  appropriations 
for  the  naval  service  for  the  year  1836." 

The  question  recurred,  that  the  house  do  concur  with  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  whole  House  on  the  state  of  the  Union,  in  its  amend- 
ment to  the  thirteenth  and  last  of  the  said  amendments  of  the 
senate  :  and  being  put,  it  passed  in  the  affirmative. 

The  said  thirteenth  and  last  amendment,  as  amended,  is  as  fol- 
lows :— Strike  out  all  of  the  two  additional  sections  added  by  the 
senate  after  the  word  "enacted,"  in  the  first  of  said  additional 
sections,  and  insert  as  follows  :  "  That  the  President  of  the  United 
States  be,  and  he  hereby  is,  authorized,  if  in  his  opinion  the  public 
interest  shall  require,  to  send  out  a  surveying  and  exploring  expe- 
dition to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  South  Seas ;  and  for  that  purpose 


THE      BILL. 


277 


to  employ  a  sloop  of  war,  and  to  purchase  or  provide  such  other 
smaller  vessels  as  may  be  necessary  and  proper  to  render  the  said 
expedition  efficient  and  useful.  And  for  this  purpose,  the  sum  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby, 
appropriated  out  of  any  money  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  ap- 
propriated ;  and  in  addition  thereto,  if  necessary,  the  President  of 
the  United  States  is  authorized  to  use  other  means  in  the  control 
of  the  Navy  Department,  not  exceeding  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  for  the  objects  required." 

And  on  the  question,  that  the  house  do  agree  to  the  said  amend- 
ments, as  amended,  it  passed  in  the  affirmative — yeas  92. 

The  yeas  and  nays  being  desired  by  one-fifth  of  the  members 
present,  those  who  voted  in  the  affirmative  are, 


Mr.  John  duincy  Adams  Mr. 

Hiram  P.  Hunt 

Mr.  George  W.  Owens 

Jeremiah  Bailey 

Adam  Huntsman 

James  Parker 

Andrew  Beaumont 

Joseph  R.  Ingersoll 

William  Patterson 

William  K.  Bond 

Samuel  Ingham 

Franklin  Pierce 

Nathaniel  B.  Borden 

William  Jackson 

Ebenezer  Pettigrew 

Matthias  J.  Bovee 

Henry  F.  Janes 

Lancelot  Phelps 

George  N.  Briggs 

Daniel  Jenifer 

Stephen  C.  Philips 

Andrew  Buchanan 

Benjamin  Jones 

David  Potts,  jr. 

John  Calhoon 

Andrew  T.  Judson 

John  Reed 

William  B.  Calhoun 

William  Kennon 

John  Reynolds 

Churchill  C.  Cambreleng 
George  Chambers 

Daniel  Kilgore 
George  L.  Kinnard 

Joseph  Reynolds 
Ferdinand  S.  Schenck 

Thomas  Corwin 

Amos  Lane 

William  B.  Shepard 

John  Cramer 

Gerrit  Y.  Lansing 

William  N.  Shinn 

Joseph  H.  Crane 

John  Laporte 

Nicholas  Sickles 

Caleb  Gushing 

Abbott  Lawrence 

Jonathan  Sloane 

Edward  Darlington 

Gideon  Lee 

David  Spangler 

Ulysses  F.  Doubleday 
Horace  Everett 

Joshua  Lee 
Levi  Lincoln 

William  Sprague,  jr. 
Bellamy  Storer 

John  Fairfield 

Henry  Logan 

Joel  B.  Sutherland 

Dudley  Farlin 

Francis  S.^Lyon 

John  Taliaferro 

Samuel  Fowler 

William  Mason 

Francis  Thomas 

Rice  Garland 

Moses  Mason,  jr. 

Isaac  Toucey 

Francis  Granger 

Samson  Mason 

Aaron  Vanderpoel 

George  Grennell,  jr. 

Jonathan  McCarty 

Samuel  F.  Vinton 

Elisha  Haley 

Thomas  M.  T.  MeKennan  Daniel  Wardwell 

Thomas  L.  Hamer 

Isaac  McKim 

George  C.  Washington 

Samuel  S.  Harrison 

Charles  F.  Mercer 

Joseph  Weeks 

William  S.  Hiester 

Jesse  Miller 

Elisha  Whittlesey 

Samuel  Hoar 

John  J.  Milligan 

Thomas  J.  Whittlesey. 

Elias  Howell 

Matthias  Morris 

There  were  sixty  votes  in  the  negative ;  some,  as  alleged,  be- 
cause they  had  not  time  to  make  themselves  sufficiently  acquainted 


278  PASSAGE     OF 

with  the  merits  of  the  measure  in  detail;  others,  because  they 
considered  that  the  government  had  the  power  to  keep  a  portion 
of  our  vessels  thus  employed,  without  any  special  act  on  the  part 
of  congress.  It  would  be  unjust,  therefore,  to  put  down,  as  opposed 
to  the  expedition,  all  those  who  voted  in  the  negative. 

In  all  legislative  bodies,  a  great  deal  occurs  which  never  becomes 
matter  of  record.  It  was  so  in  this  instance.  The  bill,  with  amend- 
ments from  the  senate,  had  been  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Naval  Affairs  in  the  house.  The  sections  providing  for  the  expe- 
dition, it  will  be  seen,  were  so  altered  by  that  committee,  as  to 
leave  the  whole  matter  to  the  discretion  of  the  executive.  The 
friends  of  the  measure  adopted  this  modification,  though  much 
opposed  to  it  in  form.  They  had  no  apprehensions  of  the  object 
being  defeated,  on  account  of  its  being  left  to  the  discretion  of  the 
executive.  They  knew  our  interests  required  the  expedition;  and 
that  was  a  sufficient  guaranty  that  it  would  be  sent. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  4th  of  May,  when  the  amend 
ment  was  taken  up.  Considerable  opposition  was  manifested. 
The  whole  appropriation  for  the  naval  service  was  now  suspended 
on  this  item,  and  many  public  considerations  required  its  passage 
with  the  least  possible  delay.  A  delay  of  some  ten  days  did  occur. 
It  were  easy  to  show,  however,  that  the  friends  of  the  expedition 
were  not  responsible. 

For  the  avowed  object  of  expediting  business,  a  motion  was 
now  made  to  strike  out  the  clause  providing  for  the  expedition. 
Mr.  Vinton,  of  Ohio,  was  the  first  to  take  the  floor  in  opposition  to 
this  motion.  Messrs.  Hamer,  Storer,  and  others  of  the  same  dele- 
gation, were  on  their  feet  at  the  same  time,  against  the  motion  to 
strike  out,  and  in  favour  of  the  expedition.  It  was  now  apparent 
that  a  full  discussion  was  inevitable  ;  so-  the  house  adjourned. 

Business  connected  with  the  District  next  came  up  as  special 
orders  of  the  day,  and  occupied  the  house  until  the  9th  of  May, 
when  the  subject  of  the  expedition  was  again  taken  up.  An 


THE     BILL.  279 

animated  discussion  followed ;  the  more  interesting,  as  it  embraced 
the  whole  merits  of  the  question. 

Messrs.  Hawes,  of  Kentucky,  Patton,  of  Virginia,  and  Dickerson, 
of  New  Jersey,  spoke  against  the  bill.  Their  speeches  have  not 
been  reported, 

Messrs.  Vinton  and  Hamer,  of  Ohio,  and  Messrs.  Reed  and 
Philips,  of  Massachusetts,  spoke  in  favour  of  the  measure.  The 
speeches  of  Messrs.  Vinton  and  Philips  have  not  been  reported. 
The  first  was  concise,  but  decisive,  and  much  to  the  point ;  the 
latter  was  more  elaborate,  and  evinced  great  familiarity  with  our 
commercial  interests  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  South  Seas.  That 
of  Mr.  Reed  was  such  as  might  have  been  expected  from  the 
representative  of  a  district  largely  engaged  in  the  whale  fishery. 
Mr.  Hamer  addressed  the  house  at  length. 

"  He  said  he  concurred,  to  a  great  extent,  in  the  views  of  the 
gentleman  from  Virginia,  (Mr.  Patton,)  who  had  just  taken  his 
seat.  He  was  of  opinion,  and  had  so  expressed  himself  the  other 
day  when  this  subject  was  before  the  house,  that  each  depart- 
ment of  the  government  ought  to  act  independently,  and  upon  its 
own  responsibility.  Each  branch,  whether  legislative,  executive, 
or  judicial,  ought  to  manfully  meet  and  settle  every  question  pre- 
sented to  it,  without  attempting  to  shrink  from  its  duty,  or  to  shift 
responsibility  from  its  own  shoulders  upon  any  other  department. 
The  senate  had  thus  acted  in  reference  to  this  subject,  whilst  the 
amendment  now  proposed  by  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs  of 
this  house  referred  the  whole  question  to  the  discretion  of  the 
President  of  the  United1  States.  He  had  as  much  confidence  in 
the  wisdom,  intelligence,  and  patriotism  of  the  Chief  Magistrate 
as  any  gentleman ;  but  he  thought  we  ought  to  decide  this  ques- 
tion ourselves.  He,  therefore,  preferred  the  original  amendment 
of  the  senate  to  the  modification  of  our  committee.  He  had,  how- 
ever, conversed  with  several  friends  of  the  appropriation,  who 
seemed  inclined  to  acquiesce  in  the  present  amendment,  and  he 


280  SPEECH     OF 

should  so  far  yield  to  their  wishes,  as  not  to  interpose  any  strenu- 
ous opposition  to  the  views  of  the  Naval  Committee.  If  a  majority 
of  the  house  were  disposed  to  adopt  it  in  this  shape,  he  would  not 
insist  upon  the  original  proposition. 

"He  was  the  more  inclined  to  yield  to  this  amendment,  because 
he  believed  the  effect  would  be  precisely  the  same.  The  expedi- 
tion would  be  sent  out,  under  either  provision.  The  last  seven 
years  had  shown,  that  under  no  previous  administration  had  mari- 
time interests  been  more  kindly  cherished  and  thoroughly  pro- 
tected than  they  had  been  under  the  care  of  the  enlightened  and 
patriotic  chief  who  now  presided  over  the  executive  department 
of  our  government.  He,  who  had  been  always  alive  to  the  in- 
terest and  honour  of  his  country,  would  be  neither  insensible  to 
the  advantages  of  this  expedition,  nor  slow  in  the  execution  of  a 
trust  reposed  in  his  discretion. 

"  This  measure  had  been  objected  to,  as  novel  and  extraordinary 
in  its  character.  Gentlemen  had  not  examined  the  subject,  he 
thought,  who  made  these  objections.  Almost  every  nation  in 
Europe  had,  at  one  time  or  other,  sent  out  similar  expeditions. 
France,  England,  Russia,  and  Prussia,  as  well  as  several  of  the 
secondary  nations  of  Europe,  had  authorized  such  expeditions. 
He  would  go  no  further  back  than  the  voyage  of  Christopher 
Columbus,  who  had  three  hundred  years  ago  discovered  a  new 
world,  and  conferred  such  important  benefits  upon  the  whole 
human  race.  His  was  by  no  means  the  first  voyage  of  the  kind ; 
but  from  that  day  down  to  the  present,  similar  expeditions  for  dis- 
covery, exploration,  and  survey,  both  by  sea  and  land,  had  been 
set  on  foot,  by  the  civilized  nations  of  the  old  world,  and  had,  in 
almost  every  instance,  resulted  most  beneficially,  not  only  to  the. 
authors,  but  to  the  whole  family  of  nations.  The  information  thus 
acquired  was  thrown  into  the  common  stock.  It  was  published 
for  the  benefit  of  all ;  and  no  nation  was  more  ready  to  seize  upon 
the  results  of  these  discoveries,  and  turn  them  to  its  own  advan- 


MR.     H  A  M  E  R.  281 

tage,  than  ourselves.  It  was  known  to  every  man  who  had  exam- 
ined the  subject,  that  our  mariners  were  navigating  the  ocean, 
almost  exclusively,  by  the  aid  of  charts  furnished  us  by  foreigners. 
The  immense  amount  of  wealth  daily  flowing  into  our  country 
from  foreign  commerce,  owed  its  security,  amidst  the  dangers  of 
the  great  deep,  to  the  information  we  had  derived  from  the  explor- 
ations and  surveys  made  by  others,  in  former  times,  as  well  as  in 
the  present  age.  The  expedition  was  not  novel,  therefore,  nor 
was  it  at  all  extraordinary. 

"  It  had  been  pronounced  a  visionary  project,  and  one  gentleman 
had  compared  it  to  an  expedition  to  the  moon.  He  was  surprised 
to  hear  gentlemen  indulge  in  the  use  of  such  language.  They 
surely  had  misapprehended  the  meaning  of  the  term  "exploration," 
as  used  upon  this  occasion.  The  expedition,  so  far  from  being 
visionary,  was  one  of  the  most  practical  kind  that  could  well  be 
imagined.  It  was  sent  out,  not  so  much  to  discover  new  islands 
and  continents,  as  to  explore  and  examine  those  which  were  al- 
ready known.  It  was,  in  a  great  measure,  to  collect  information, 
and  embody  it  in  such  a  form,  as  would  enable  our  hardy  and  en- 
terprising countrymen  to  navigate  those  seas,  and  to  prosecute 
their  labours  in  safety.  If  any  gentleman,  who  entertained  such 
opinions,  would  look  into  the  documents  upon  our  tables,  con- 
nected with  the  subject,  he  would  be  convinced  that  it  was  one  of 
the  most  practical  affairs  that  had  been  proposed  during  the  present 
session  of  congress.  It  had  been  asked  for  by  practical  men,  and 
recommended  by  many  who  had  themselves  sailed  in  those  seas, 
and  were  personally  acquainted  with  the  imminent  perils  which 
had  to  be  encountered  in  such  voyages.  These  men  were  not 
likely  to  be  carried  away  by  wild  and  visionary  schemes ;  and  when 
the  measure  had  their  decided  approbation,  it  would  be  well  for 
gentlemen  to  pause  before  they  gave  it  an  unqualified  denunciation. 

"  Some  gentlemen  seemed  to  question  our  constitutional  authority 
to  send  out  this  expedition.  He  had  no  doubts  upon  that  subject 

36 


282  SPEECH     OF 

The  power  was  to  be  found  in  that  clause  of  the  constitution 
which  allows  us  to  regulate  commerce  with  foreign  nations  and 
among  the  several  States.  It  was  under  that  clause  of  the  consti- 
tution, he  said,  that  we  now  had  Mr.  Hassler,  with  his  splendid 
apparatus  and  scientific  corps,  engaged  in  surveying  the  whole 
maritime  coast  of  the  nation.  No  one  doubted  our  authority  to  do 
this ;  and  the  most  important  and  useful  results  were  Kkely  to 
follow  the  surveys.  Among  others,  he  would  name  the  recent 
discovery  of  a  channel  at  the  city  of  New  York,  about  two  feet 
deeper  than  any  one  known  to  the  oldest  inhabitants,  or  to  the 
most  experienced  and  skilful  pilots  upon  that  coast.  It  was  under 
this  clause  of  the  constitution  those  surveys  were  progressing ;  and 
if  we  had  a  right  to  survey  and  note  upon  charts  the  channels, 
the  rocks,  quicksands,  and  islands  along  our  own  coast,  because 
our  vessels  were  engaged  in  navigation  among  these  dangers,  why 
could  we  not  make  similar  examinations,  with  the  same  object,  in 
any  seas  which  were  frequented  by  our  vessels  ?  In  principle, 
there  was  no  difference.  The  safety  of  our  commerce  was  the 
object  in  each  case,  and  the  mode  of  affording  that  safety  was  not 
varied. 

"We  had  never  sent  out  such  an  expedition  upon  the  ocean, 
although  our  public  vessels  were  instructed  to  collect  all  such 
commercial  information  as  might  fall  within  the  range  of  their 
observation,  and  to  preserve  it  for  the  public  benefit.  But  we  had 
had  several  such  by  land,  to  the  great  interior  of  this  continent. 
Every  gentleman  would  recollect  the  expedition  of  Lewis  and 
Clarke  to  the  Rocky  mountains.  What  was  the  object  of  that 
expedition?  It  was  to  acquire  information  with  regard  to  an 
unknown  region  of  country;  to  open  an  intercourse  with  the 
natives ;  to  ascertain  the  natural  resources  of  the  country,  and  to 
promote  the  interests  of  science.  By  reference  to  the  instructions 
which  were  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Jefferson  himself,  it  would  be  seen 
that  they  were  to  notice  the  soil  and  face  of  the  country ;  its 


MR.     H  A  M  E  R.  283 

vegetable  productions,  especially  those  unknown  in  the  United 
States ;  and  the  present  races  of  animals,  as  well  as  remains  or 
accounts  of  those  supposed  to  be  extinct,  were  deemed  worthy  of 
observation.  The  mineral  productions  of  every  kind  were  to  be 
noted;  limestone,  coal,  saltpetre,  salines  and  mineral  waters, 
remarking  the  temperature  and  character  of  the  latter,  were  all  com- 
mended to  their  notice.  To  these  were  added  volcanic  appear- 
ances, climate,  and  the  proportions  of  clear  and  cloudy  weather ; 
rain,  hail,  snow,  ice,  and  frost,  at  different  seasons ;  particular 
birds,  reptiles,  and  insects ;  and  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  im- 
portant places. 

"  They  were  further  instructed  to  hold  intercourse  with  the 
natives,  and  to  impress  them  with  the  position,  extent,  character, 
peaceable  and  commercial  dispositions  of  the  United  States,  and 
of  our  inclination  to  hold  friendly  intercourse  with  them. 

"Such  were  the  directions  given  by  that  great  and  good  man, 
Thomas  Jefferson.  The  expedition  which  he  sent  out  was  exactly 
such  a  one  as  we  now  propose  to  send,  except  that  one  went  into  a 
wilderness  almost  entirely  unknown  to  our  people,  and  the  other  was 
to  go  into  seas  that  were  partially  known  to  them,  it  is  true,  but 
whose  rocks  and  reefs  were  not  known,  either  to  our  navigators,  or 
to  those  of  any  other  nation.  The  instructions  to  Long,  in  1822, 
were  similar  to  those  given  to  Lewis  and  Clarke.  Indeed,  Mr. 
Monroe  refers  to  the  instructions  given  to  them,  and  directs  Major 
Long  to  be  governed  by  them  in  his  tour.  The  expedition  of  Mr. 
Featherstonhaugh,  the  geologist,  sent  out  to  Arkansas  during  the 
last  year  by  our  government,  was  instituted  for  similar  purposes. 

"  The  practice  of  the  government  had  therefore  given  a  construc- 
tion to  the  constitution,  such  as  we  now  claimed  for  it.  The  right 
to  make  these  explorations,  both  by  sea  and  land,  had  been  claimed 
and  exercised  in  numerous  instances,  and  the  authority  to  make 
them  could  not  well  be  doubted.  At  this  moment,  whilst  we  were 
discussing  the  question,  Mr.  Hassler  was  executing  charts  from  the 


284  SPEECH    OP 

materials  he  had  collected  along  our  coast  during  the  past  summer , 
and  it  would  be  a  most  singular  position  to  assume,  that,  although 
we  could  require  him  to  survey  and  note  all  the  reefs  and  islands 
within  sight,  or  within  one  hundred  miles  of  our  coast,  because  the 
commerce  of  the  country  was  carried  on  through  this  space,  yet 
we  could  not  send  him,  for  the  same  purpose,  to  another  part  of 
the  ocean,  equally  occupied  by  the  public  armed  and  private 
merchant  vessels  of  the  United  States.  The  ocean  was  the  com- 
mon property  of  all  nations ;  and  each  had  an  equal  right  to  navi- 
gate its  waters.  Every  part  of  the  ocean  was  within  our  jurisdic- 
tion ;  and  we  had  the  same  authority  to  make  surveys  in  the  South 
Seas,  that  we  had  to  make  them  along  our  own  coast.  Wherever 
the  commerce  of  the  country  now  exists,  or  is  likely  to  be  extended, 
we  have  the  right  to  send  protection  and  information.  It  is  for  these 
purposes  that  we  annually  send  vessels  and  squadrons  into  the 
Mediterranean  and  other  seas,  bearing  the  national  colours,  and 
demanding  national  respect.  How,  then,  could  a  distinction  be 
drawn  between  this  case,  and  one  which  limits  the  surveys  to  our 
own  shores  ?  Such  a  position  was  wholly  indefensible ;  and  he 
would  dismiss  this  branch  of  the  subject  without  any  further 
remarks. 

"  If  we  had  the  power,  then,  to  send  out  the  expedition,  let  us 
inquire  if  it  be  expedient  to  do  so.  Who  is  to  be  benefited  by  it  ? 
What  portion  of  the  country  desires  it  ?  If  the  interest  of  any 
considerable  class  of  individuals  require  it ;  or  if  it  be  necessary  to 
any  considerable  portion  of  our  common  country,  having  the  power 
and  the  means  to  accomplish  it ;  we  ought  to  do  it  without  hesita- 
tion. We  owe  protection  to  all  classes  of  our  citizens,  and  to 
every  part  of  our  country ;  and  this  protection  should  be  afforded, 
not  only  freely  and  impartially,  but  it  should  be  extended  to  each 
one  according  to  his  own  peculiar  wants  and  condition. 

"  He  did  not  believe  with  some  gentlemen,  that  one  great  object 
of  an  American  statesman  was  to  get  as  much  money  as  possible 


t     « 

V 


MR.     H  A  M  E  R.  285 

out  of  the  public  treasury,  to  be  expended  in  his  own  region  ol 
country,  or  among  his  constituents.  That  principle  would  render 
our  legislation  little  else  than  a  pitiful  scramble  for  the  public 
money.  On  the  contrary,  he  viewed  this  great  republic  as  one 
and  indivisible.  He  did  not  look  forward  to  a  day  when  it  would 
be  split  up  into  a  number  of  confederacies  ;  and,  in  anticipation  of 
such  an  event,  busy  himself  to  get  as  much  as  possible  of  the 
common  funds  appropriated  to  his  section  of  the  country,  in  ad- 
vance. He  held  that  no  man,  or  set  of  men,  could  dissolve  this 
Union.  The  great  mass  of  the  American  people  were  devoted  to  it, 
and  they  would  not  permit  its  dissolution.  He  did  most  solemnly 
believe,  that  if  it  were  dissolved  to-day,  in  less  than  three  months 
the  people  would  have  another  constitution  formed,  and  in  full 
operation ;  and  they  would  politically  destroy  any  man  or  set  of 
men  who  should  attempt  to  prevent  the  reunion.  The  country  was 
made  to  be  united  ;  the  people  felt  it  to  be  their  interest  to  remain 
so  ;  and  he  would  repeat  what  he  had  before  said,  that  this  coun- 
try was  one  and  indivisible,  and  would  remain  so  for  generations 
to  come,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  selfish,  designing,  or  disaf- 
fected politicians  to  seduce  the  people  from  their  allegiance,  or  to 
weaken  the  attachment  they  owed  to  their  common  country. 
Viewing  things  in  this  light,  he  had  uniformly  voted  for  whatever 
appeared  to  him  to  be  required  in  any  part  of  the  country.  Ap- 
propriations often  seemed  to  be  of  local  character,  and  were  so  in. 
some  respects  ;  yet,  when  properly  considered,  they  were  of  na- 
tional character  and  of  general  utility.  Thus,  a  custom-house  in 
Baltimore,  New  York,  or  Boston,  belonged  as  much  to  him  and 
his  constituents,  as  it  did  to  the  persons  who  resided  in  those  cities, 
or  to  the  gentlemen  who  represented  them  on  that  floor.  They 
were  necessary  to  aid  in  the  collection  of  the  revenue,  which  sup- 
ported the  government ;  and  they  were  placed  at  those  particular 
points,  because  it  was  most  convenient  for  the  commercial  com- 
munity, and  for  the  whole  people,  that  they  should  be  thus  located. 


286  SPEECH     OF 

So  of  navy  yards,  light-houses,  forts,  arsenals,  dock  yards,  and  har- 
bours. They  were  all  national ;  they  belonged  to  his  constituents 
as  much  as  to  any  one  else ;  and  he  voted  for  their  construction 
and  improvement  with  the  same  cheerfulness  and  liberality  that  he 
voted  for  an  appropriation  to  remove  obstructions  from  the  great 
rivers  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  to  improve  the  harbours  upon  the 
great  inland  seas  of  the  north-west,  or  to  fortify  and  defend  the 
western  and  south-western  frontiers.  When  he  voted  for  such 
appropriations  for  the  Atlantic  coast,  he  did  not  feel  that  he  was 
making  a  donation  to  the  states  and  cities  on  this  side  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  nor  did  he  believe  that  any  liberal-minded  statesman  along 
the  seaboard  thought,  when  he  voted  for  expenditures  beyond  the 
mountains,  that  he  was  giving  away  money  to  the  West.  Such 
views  were  narrow  and  illiberal.  The  only  true  rule  was,  to  give 
whatever  the  public  interest  required,  at  any  and  at  every  point, 
interior  and  exterior.  There  could  then  be  no  just  cause  of  com- 
plaint; and  the  industry  and  enterprise  of  the  people,  aided  by 
such  appropriations,  would  produce  general  happiness  and  pros- 
perity throughout  all  our  borders. 

"  Recurring  then  to  the  question  propounded,  what  interest  was 
it  that  required  this  expenditure  ?  According  to  the  best  informa- 
tion he  had  been  able  to  collect,  the  capital  invested  in  the  whale 
and  seal  fisheries  alone,  in  those  seas,  amounted  to  some  fifteen 
or  twenty  millions  of  dollars.  The  number  of  vessels  was  not  less 
than  four  hundred ;  constituting  one-tenth  of  the  whole  tonnage  of 
the  United  States.  The  number  of  seamen  employed  in  this 
service  was  at  least  ten  thousand.  The  annual  value  of  the  trade 
was  probably  six  or  eight  millions,  which  was  so  much  wealth 
extracted  from  the  ocean  by  the  enterprise  of  our  people,  and 
added  to  the  common  stock  of  the  whole  nation.  This  capital,  and 
these  men,  deserve  protection.  The  exposure  is  uncommonly 
great  in  these  seas.  They  abound  with  shoals,  rocks,  and  islands, 
not  known  to  navigators,  because  they  are  not  recorded  upon  any 

.    '""•••<•:?•':'".  •  ;     •••;• 

•     '. .     *      *'  '       .'-''•     *   fe*.  .W 


MR.     H  A  M  E  R.  287 

chart  now  in  existence  ;  whilst  many  of  those  which  are  marked, 
are  so  incorrectly  placed,  that  they  mislead  the  sailor,  who  suddenly 
finds  himself  shipwrecked  in  an  unknown  sea,  far  from  the  haunts 
of  civilized  man,  and  destined  to  become  a  prey  to  the  cruel  and 
remorseless  savages  who  inhabit  the  islands ;  or  to  endure  all  the 
horrors  of  starvation  upon  some  steril  rock  which  lifts  its  head 
above  the  surface  of  a  boundless  sea. 

"  Such  catastrophes  were  of  frequent  occurrence.  The  loss  of 
property  and  life  in  those  regions  had  been  immense.  Still  it  did 
not  deter  our  people  from  their  employments;  they  met  every 
danger  and  encountered  every  peril,  in  pursuit  of  the  monsters  of 
the  deep ;  and  it  was  hard,  that  whilst  every  other  class  of  our 
population  were  protected  by  the  government,  such  men  as  these 
should  be  neglected.  He  trusted  it  would  no  longer  be  so.  There 
was  one  point  of  view  in  which  this  subject  deserved  our  most 
serious  consideration.  The  fisheries  were  the  great  nurseries  of 
American  seamen ;  and  when  war  overtakes  us,  these  were  the 
very  men  upon  whom  we  must  rely  to  fight  our  battles  upon  the 
ocean.  They  were  as  ready  to  brave  the  roar  and  carnage  of 
an  enemy's  broadside,  or  to  wield  the  boarding  pike  under  the 
star-spangled  banner,  as  they  were  to  pursue  their  mighty  game 
amidst  the  dangers  and  perils  of  the  great  Pacific  Ocean.  Whether 
we  considered  their  condition  in  peace  or  in  war,  they  were  a 
most  useful  and  meritorious  part  of  our  citizens,  and  deserved  the 
favour  and  protection  of  the  government.  Our  seamen,  who  were 
engaged  in  the  cod  fisheries,  had  long  been  protected  by  the  boun- 
ties allowed  them  upon  the  exportation  of  the  produce  of  their 
labours ;  but  no  such  provision  had  ever  been  extended  to  these 
men.  He  saw  no  reason  for  such  a  distinction  ;  but  it  was  to  be 
hoped  they  would  at  least  be  aided  by  an  improved  chart  of  the 
theatre  of  their  operations,  and  a  demonstration  of  our  power  in 
those  seas,  which  would  make  an  impression  upon  the  savages 
favourable  to  the  future  security  of  our  manners. 


288  SPEECH     OP 

"  Some  gentlemen  appeared  to  consider  this  an  eastern  measure. 
It  was  not  so.  The  west  had  a  deep  interest  in  it.  It  was  well 
known  to  all  who  resided  in  the  great  grain-growing  states  of  the 
interior,  that  our  principal  difficulty  was  to  find  a  market  for  the 
surplus  productions  of  our  fertile  soil.  Every  thing  that  could 
supply  the  wants  of  man,  that  constituted  the  necessaries  of  life, 
grew  up  almost  spontaneously,  in  the  greatest  abundance.  But 
we  had  no  market.  We  were  continually  racking  our  invention 
to  find  new  and  increased  demands  for  our  produce,  and  to  open 
new  avenues  to  the  seaboard,  so  as  to  lessen  the  cost  of  transport- 
ation, and  to  increase  competition  among  purchasers.  This  trade, 
which  we  now  propose  to  foster,  is  daily  increasing,  and  it  fur- 
nishes a  market  already  for  a  large  amount  of  our  surplus  produce. 
This  fleet  of  four  hundred  vessels  could  not  go  to  sea  without  one 
hundred  thousand  barrels  of  flour;  eighty  or  one  hundred  thousand 
barrels  of  pork  and  beef;  forty  or  fifty  thousand  pieces  of  sail- 
cloth ;  eight  or  ten  thousand  tons  of  cordage ;  besides  large  quan- 
tities of  corn,  beans,  and  various  other  articles  necessary  to  a  long 
voyage.  Have  the  states  bordering  on  the  Ohio  no  interest  in 
such  a  market  as  this  ?  Does  not  Kentucky  want  a  market  for 
her  hemp  ?  Do  not  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  want  purchasers 
for  their  flour,  pork,  beef,  and  corn,  which  they  all  produce  in 
such  abundance  ?  Assuredly  they  do ;  and  it  is  chiefly  to  the 
manufacturing  and  commercial  states,  along  the  Atlantic,  that  they 
must  look  for  the  consumption  of  their  produce,  especially  in  time 
of  peace.  It  was  for  our  interest,  therefore,  in  a  pecuniary  point 
of  view,  as  a  mere  question  of  dollars  and  cents,  to  foster  this 
trade,  and  to  enlarge  its  capacity  to  consume  the  productions  of 
the  farming  class  of  the  great  Mississippi  valley.  This  consider- 
ation seemed  to  present  the  national  importance  of  the  measure 
more  clearly  to  the  mind ;  and  finely  illustrated  what  must  be  ap- 
parent to  every  rri  --'jting  man,  that  we  could  not  extend  the  aid 
of  the  government  in  this  country  to  any  portion  of  the  citizens 


MR.     H  A  M  E  R.  289 

without  producing  some  corresponding  benefit  to  other,  and  often 
to  very  distant  portions  of  our  population. 

"  The  expedition  would  not  only  perform  a  most  valuable  service 
by  correcting  the  position  upon  the  charts,  of  islands,  reefs,  and 
rocks,  already  known  to  exist ;  by  discovering  and  noting,  others, 
of  which  we  have  no  knowledge ;  but  they  would  survey  the 
coasts  of  the  islands,  and  ascertain  where  there  were  harbours,  in 
which  ships  might  find  shelter  from  storms  ;  points  at  which  wood, 
water,  and  refreshments  could  be  obtained  by  our  vessels  engaged 
in  this  trade.  Besides  these  duties,  they  would  open  friendly  con- 
ferences with  the  natives  ;  they  would  succeed,  perhaps,  in  rescu- 
ing a  number  of  prisoners,  who  were  now  undoubtedly  among 
these  islanders ;  the  remnants  of  crews  who  had  been  shipwrecked 
along  their  coasts.  The  rescue  of  a  husband  and  father,  and  his 
restoration  to  his  disconsolate  family,  would  be  worth  half  the 
expense  of  the  expedition ;  and  the  remainder  would  be  covered 
by  the  redemption  of  some  unfortunate  son  from  his  savage  mas- 
ters, and  his  return  to  the  arms  of  a  widowed  mother.  We  might 
also  succeed  in  impressing  these  people  with  a  correct  idea  of  the 
friendly  and  pacific  policy  of  our  government ;  our  dispositions  to 
hold  amicable  intercourse  with  them ;  and  of  our  power  and  incli- 
nation to  punish  outrages  committed  upon  our  citizens. 

"  In  addition  to  the  intelligent  naval  officers  who  would  super- 
intend the  movements  of  the  vessels,  a  scientific  corps  would 
accompany  the  expedition.  The  duties  to  be  performed  were 
various,  complicated,  and  arduous  ;  and  the  success  of  the  expedi- 
tion would  require  this  organization.  The  labours  of  the  naval 
officers  would  embrace  every  thing  essentially  connected  with 
their  profession  ;  an  employment  adequate  to  the  highest  intel- 
lectual efforts.  To  ascertain  with  accuracy  the  latitude  and  longi- 
tude of  important  places  visited ;  to  correct  the  position  of  reefs 
and  islands  upon  the  charts,  and  to  give  p.  ....  to  new  ones;  to 
explore  harbours,  and  point  out  places  for  obtaining  wood,  water, 
N  37 


290  SPEECH     OF 

and  provisions  ;  to  make  observations  tending  to  throw  new  light 
upon  the  obscure  laws  which  govern  the  magnet ;  to  open  an  inter- 
course with  the  natives,  and  to  cause  our  flag  to  be  known  and 
respected  in  those  seas  :  these  and  other  kindred  duties,  requiring 
great  prudence  and  capacity,  with  unusual  skill  and  professional 
attainments,  would  furnish  employments  to  the  naval  officers 
having  charge  of  the  squadron. 

"  Upon  the  scientific  corps  other  duties  would  devolve,  no  less 
arduous  and  important.  He  could  not  descend  to  details.  It  was 
sufficient  to  say,  that  the  whole  field  of  natural  philosophy  and 
natural  history  lay  open  before  them.  No  part  of  it  should  be 
neglected;  for  its  objects  entered  largely  into  the  elements  of 
commerce,  and  had  an  acknowledged  value  among  all  civilized 
nations,  and  with  all  enlightened  minds.  The  animal  productions 
of  those  remote  regions,  whether  inhabiting  the  land,  the  ocean, 
or  the  air,  would  require  particular  attention.  The  vegetable  and 
mineral  productions  could  not  be  overlooked.  Every  object  con- 
nected with  the  present  commerce,  or  calculated  to  open  new 
channels  for  trade,  would  be  journalized  and  preserved.  The 
executive  should  be  able  to  speak  of  this  corps  in  the  language  of 
\  President  Monroe's  instructions  to  Major  Long :  'Great  confidence 
is  reposed  in  the  acquirements  and  zeal  of  the  citizens  who  will 
accompany  the  expedition  for  scientific  purposes  ;  and  a  confident 
hope  is  entertained  that  their  duties  will  be  performed  in  such 
a  manner,  as  to  add  both  to  their  own  reputation  and  that  of  our 
country.'  The  two  corps,  thus  selected  and  constituted,  each 
filling  its  appropriate  department,  though  blending  and  aiding  e?xh 
other  in  harmonious  action,  could  not  fail  to  acquire  a  mass  of 
valuable  information  calculated  to  enrich  our  commerce ;  to  give 
new  vigour  to  enterprise  ;  to  enlarge  the  boundaries  of  science,  and 
to  increase  our  national  renown  by  an  additional  wreath  of  glory. 

"  This  led  him  to  notice  some  remarks  that  fell  from  the  gentle- 
man from  Kentucky,  (Mr.  Hawes,)  in  relation  to  an  individual  who 


MR.     H  A  M  E  R.  291 

had  acted  a  prominent  part  with  regard  to  this  subject.  He 
alluded  to  J.  N.  Reynolds,  Esq.,  who,  at  the  request  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Commerce,  and  by  permission  of  this  house,  had  deliv- 
ered an  able  and  eloquent  address  here,  some  weeks  ago,  in  favour 
of  the  expedition.  He  did  not  believe  the  gentleman  from  Ken- 
tucky had  heard  the  address.  If  he  had,  most,  if  not  all,  of  his 
prejudices  and  objections  would  have  been  removed.  Mr.  H.  said 
he  had  known  Mr.  Reynolds  from  his  boyhood,  and  knew  him 
well.  He  came  from  his  neighbourhood  in  Ohio,  where  he  was 
educated  and  studied  the  law.  He  was  a  man  of  as  pure  princi- 
ples and  fair  character  as  any  man  upon  that  floor.  His  efforts  in 
this  cause  had  been  wholly  free  from  any  selfish  considerations ; 
and  in  all  he  had  done  for  the  last  seven  or  eight  years  to  promote 
it,  he  had  been  actuated  by  those  feelings  of  patriotism  that  should 
animate  every  American  heart.  He  had  no  doubt,  if  the  expedition 
were  authorized,  that  Mr.  Reynolds  would  be  employed  to  accom- 
pany it;  for  he  possessed  more  information  with  regard  to  those  seas, 
and  was  every  way  better  calculated  to  make  the  expedition  what 
it  ought  to  be,  than  any  man  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance, 
He  was  in  possession  of  all  the  facts  which  had  been  collected  in 
reference  to  that  portion  of  the  globe  which  was  to  be  examined 
and  explored,  and  he  possessed  the  entire  confidence  of  all  who 
knew  him.  His  writings  had  attracted  the  attention  of  men  of 
letters,  and  literary  societies  and  institutions  had  conferred  upon 
him  some  of  the  highest  honours  they  had  to  bestow.  Still  this 
gentleman,  who  was  an  honour  to  Ohio  and  to  our  whole  country, 
might  not  accompany  the  expedition.  But  that  fact  would  have 
no  influence  upon  his  course,  Mr.  H.  was  authorized  to  say,  that 
his  zeal  for  the  success  of  the  measure,  and  for  the  interest  of  the 
expedition,  would  continue  unabated ;  and  whatever  he  could  do  to 
insure  its  prosperous  termination,  would  '•  -  ;J-  erfully  performed. 
Thus  much  he  felt  himself  bound  to  say  in  defence  of  his  friend  ; 
who,  although  the  gentleman  did  not  mean  to  assail  him,  might 


292  SPEECH     OP 

suffer  in  public  estimation  from  the  remarks  which  had  been  made, 
if  they  remained  entirely  unanswered. 

"What  were  the  evidences  of  public  opinion  in  favour  of  this 
expedition  ?  In  a  government  like  ours,  public  opinion  was  every 
thing.  It  was  proper  that  it  should  be  so.  Enlightened  public 
opinion  was  always  right ;  and  it  was  a  great  moral  lever  which, 
in  a  good  degree,  now  governed  the  civilized  world ;  and  the  time 
was  rapidly  approaching  when  it  would  be  completely  triumphant 
in  all  the  political  movements  that  took  place  in  this  country. 

"  This  measure  had  been  asked  for  by  the  whole  commercial 
and  navigating  community,  so  far  as  they  have  expressed  an 
opinion.  The  members  of  the  legislatures  of  eight  different  states 
have,  within  a  few  years  past,  recommended  it  to  our  favourable 
consideration :  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Rhode  Island,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Maryland,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  and  Ohio,  had,  in  this 
manner,  decided  in  its  favour.  Many  of  the  commercial  towns  and 
cities  had  petitioned  for  it.  The  East  India  Marine  Society  of 
Massachusetts,  all  of  whose  members,  by  the  constitution,  must 
have  personally  doubled  either  Cape  Horn  or  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  had  sent  us  a  pressing  memorial  in  its  favour.  This  docu- 
ment was  entitled  to  great  weight.  It  came  from  gentlemen  who 
had  experience,  combined  with  intelligence,  upon  this  subject. 
They  had  personally  seen  and  braved  the  dangers  which  every- 
where meet  the  navigator  who  penetrates  into  the  regions,  which 
it  would  be  the  business  of  this  expedition  to  explore  and  describe. 
To  their  testimony  might  be  added  that  of  two  of  the  most  able 
and  experienced  commanders  in  the  American  navy,  Commodore 
Downes  and  Captain  Jones.  Their  letters  were  among  the  docn- 
ments  upon  our  tables.  They  were  valuable  for  more  purposes 
than  one  ;  they  refuted  the  idea  advanced  by  some,  that  our  ordi- 
nary squadron  sent  out  to  the  Pacific  to  protect  the  trade  of  our 
citizens,  could  accomplish  all  that  was  desirable.  Speaking  of 
this  subject,  Commodore  Downes  says,  '  An  expedition  fitted  out 


MR.     HAMER.  293 

for  the  purpose  of  improving  our  knowledge  of  the  hydrography 
of  those  seas,  has  often  been  the  subject  of  my  reflections.  As 
the  representative  of  a  district  largely  engaged  in  the  whale  fishery, 
you  (Mr.  Reed)  must  frequently  have  seen  from  the  reports  of 
masters  of  vessels  engaged  in  that  business,  accounts  of  new  islands 
and  reefs  being  frequently  discovered,  and  which  are  either  not 
laid  down  on  the  charts,  or  so  erroneously  marked,  that  they  can 
give  no  security  to  the  mariner.  It  is  probable  that  not  less  than 
five  hundred  of  these  islands  and  reefs  have  been  marked  with 
sufficient  accuracy  by  our  whalers,  sealers,  and  traffickers,  of  one 
kind  or  another,  to  enable  an  expedition  to  examine  the  most 
important  of  them,  without  much  loss  of  time  in  seeking  their 
positions.  This  will  enable  the  discovery  vessels  to  do  more,  in 
less  time,  than  has  probably  ever  been  effected  by  a  similar  enter- 
prise from  any  other  country.  The  accounts  given  of  the  dangers 
and  losses  to  which  our  shipping  is  exposed  by  the  extension  of 
our  trade  into  seas  but  little  known,  so  far,  in  my  opinion,  from 
being  exaggerated,  would  admit  of  being  placed  in  bolder  relief, 
and  the  protection  of  government  implored  in  stronger  terms.  I 
speak  from  practical  knowledge,  having  myself  seen  the  dangers, 
and  painfully  felt  the  want  of  the  very  kind  of  information  in  the 
guidance  of  a  vessel  in  those  seas  which  our  commercial  interests 
so  muc"h  need,  and  which  I  suppose  would  be  the  object  of  such 
an  expedition  as  is  now  under  consideration  before  the  committee 
of  congress  to  give.  Indeed,  the  ivhole  of  this  business,  it  seems 
to  me,  is  a  plain  and  practical  affair.  The  commerce  of  our 
country  has  extended  itself  to  remote  parts  of  the  world  ;  is  carried 
on  around  islands  and  reefs  not  laid  down  on  the  charts,  among 
even  groups  of  islands,  from  ten  to  sixty  in  number ;  abounding  in 
objects  valuable  in  commerce,  but  of  which  nothing  is  known 
accurately ;  no,  not  even  the  sketch  of  a  harbour  has  been  made  ; 
while  of  such  as  are  inhabited,  our  knowledge  is  still  more  imper- 
fect. It  would  seem  to  require  no  argument  to  prove  that  a 


294  SPEECH     OF 

portion  of  our  commerce  might  be  rendered  more  secure,  and 
probably  greatly  increased,  by  vessels  sent  properly  prepared  to 
examine  such  islands.'  Such  is  the  language  of  this  practical  and 
ab]e  officer.  In  the  letter  of  Captain  Jones  to  Mr.  Reynolds,  we 
have  the  following  sentiments  : 

"  *  My  recent  cruise  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  in  the  course  of  which 
I  spent  some  time  among  the  Society,  Sandwich,  and  other  islands, 
afforded  me  a  good  opportunity  of  seeing,  in  partial  operation, 
most  of  the  branches  of  commerce,  the  advantages  of  which  you 
so  clearly  demonstrated  in  your  address  to  the  Committee  on 
Naval  Affairs. 

"  *  That  there  is  a  great  field  open  for  national  enterprise  in  the 
region  to  which  you  have  invited  the  attention  of  the  American 
people,  cannot  be  doubted ;  and  I  accord  most  heartily  with  you, 
that  such  a  voyage  as  you  contemplate  would  open  to  our  com- 
mercial, and  of  course  national  interests,  sources  of  great  wealth, 
which  cannot  be  brought  into  action  without  the  protecting  aid  of 
government.*  Such  are  the  opinions  of  another  intelligent  and 
experienced  naval  officer,  who  is  intimately  acquainted  with  the 
whole  subject. 

"  Now,  sir,  the  gentleman  from  Kentucky,  (Mr.  Hawes,)  I 
expect,  was  never  out  of  sight  of  land  in  his  life  ;  he  resides  far  in 
the  interior,  and  has  not  devoted  much  time  to  the  examination  of 
this  question ;  and  yet  he  sets  up  his  opinion  in  opposition  to  these 
gentlemen,  and  pronounces  the  whole  scheme  to  be  useless  to  the 
country,  and  perfectly  visionary.  Let  me  ask  the  gentleman  te~ 
pause  before  he  takes  such  strong  ground,  and  review  his  opinions. 
He  may  find  good  reason  to  retract  what  he  has  heretofore  be- 
lieved, and  to  become  the  advocate  of  a  measure  which  rallies 
such  able  men  to  its  support. 

"  It  has  been  said  in  the  course  of  the  discussion,  that  this  sub- 
ject is  new  to  us,  and  we  want  more  information  before  we  act 
definitively  in  relation  to  it.  Are  gentlemen  aware  that  in  1 827,  '28, 


MR.     H  A  M  E  R.  295 

resolutions  passed  this  house  authorizing  this  expedition  ?  Such 
is  the  fact,  and  want  of  funds  alone  prevented  it  from  being  sent 
out  the  following  summer.  At  the  succeeding  session  of  1 828,  '29, 
a  bill  passed  this  house  directing  the  expedition,  and  was  sent  to 
the  senate,  where  it  was  not  acted  upon,  for  want  of  time.  At  the 
present  session,  the  senate  had  passed  the  appropriation,  almost 
•unanimously ;  and  it  now  remained  for  us  to  do  our  duty  in  that 
manner  which  became  the  representatives  of  a  great  people.  We 
have  had  this  subject  before  congress  for  eight  years.  It  has 
twice  been  adopted  by  the  house,  and  once  by  the  senate  of  the 
United  States  ;  and  yet,  with  all  these  evidences  of  its  utility  and 
importance,  gentlemen  rise  in  their  places,  and  gravely  pronounce 
it  to  be  a  hair-brained  and  visionary  scheme,  not  deserving  our 
serious  examination  !  Such  imputations  were  unmerited  ;  and  he 
hoped,  upon  further  reflection,  their  injustice  would  be  seen  and 
acknowledged. 

"  He  thought  he  had  shown  that  this  expedition  was  not  new, 
and  that  various  similar  ones  had  been  organized  both  in  Europe 
and  in  this  country.  Neither  was  it  unconstitutional,  for  its  chief 
object  was  to  aid  in  the  regulation,  promotion,  and  security  of  our 
foreign  commerce.  The  expense  would  be  trifling,  compared  with 
the  wealth  and  power  of  this  nation,  and  the  magnitude  and  import- 
ance of  the  objects  to  be  accomplished.  It  was  due  to  the  com- 
mercial community  and  the  navigating  interest  as  a  measure  of 
justice,  and  would  be  beneficial  to  all  classes  of  our  citizens.. 
Upon  what  principle,  then,  could  we  refuse  it  ?  Should  it  be  said 
that  we,  who  were  the  second,  if  not  the  first,  commercial  nation  in 
the  world,  must  continue  to  navigate  the  ocean  with  the  defective 
charts  furnished  us  by  foreigners  ?  It  was  notorious  that  we  were 
now  doing  so.  It  was  humiliating  to  think  of  it.  If  we  deducted 
from  the  commercial  marine  of  Great  Britain,  our  only  rival  upon 
the  seas,  the  amount  of  tonnage  they  employed  in  the  coasting 
trade,  which  did  not  engage  in  her  foreign  commerce,  we  had 


296  PASSAGE     OP 

probably  the  largest  commercial  marine  afloat  upon  the  ocean. 
Supposing  this  to  be  so,  we  were  now  the  first  commercial  people 
upon  the  globe  ;  and  the  amount  of  capital  invested  in  this  branch 
of  national  industry  was  daily  increasing.  Should  it  be  said  that 
we  were  so  penurious,  so  illiberal,  or  so  destitute  of  skill  and  enter- 
prise, as  not  to  extend  adequate  protection  to  our  valuable  and 
adventurous  citizens  who  had  embarked  in  this  trade  ?  Would 
this  reproach  be  just  ?  He  did  not  believe  it.  He  was  satisfied 
that  the  intelligence  of  the  country  expected  us  to  act  promptly 
and  liberally  upon  this  subject ;  and  that  every  consideration  of 
wisdom,  justice,  and  sound  policy,  which  could  operate  upon  an 
American  statesman,  required  us  to  make  this  appropriation." 

The  bill,  as  amended,  had  now  passed  the  house,  and  only  want- 
ed the  concurrence  of  the  senate  to  become  a  law. 

The  next  day,  May  10th,  the  amendment  as  amended  by  the 
house,  came  up  in  the  senate.  After  some  conference  among  the 
friends  of  the  measure,  comprising,  with  one  or  two  exceptions, 
every  member  of  the  senate,  all  the  amendments  of  the  house 
were  concurred  in,  excepting  part  of  the  following  amendment 
made  by  the  house  : 

"  The  President  of  the  United  States  be,  and  he  hereby  is,  au- 
thorized, if,  in  his  opinion,  the  public  interest  shall  require,  to  send 
out  a  surveying  and  exploring  expedition  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and 
£>outh  Seas :  and  for  that  purpose  to  employ  a  sloop  of  war,  and 
to  purchase  or  provide  such  other  small  vessels  as  may  be  neces- 
sary and  proper  to  render  the  said  expedition  efficient  and  useful ; 
and,  for  this  purpose,  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby,  appropriated  out  of  any  money 
in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated ;  and,  in  addition  thereto, 
if  necessarv,  the  President  of  the  United  States  is  authorized  to  use 
other  mfcans  in  the  control  of  the  navy  department,  not  exceeding 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  for  the  objects  required." 


THE     BILL.  297 

At  the  instance  of  Mr  Linn,  of  Missouri, 

Mr.  Southard  moved  to  strike  out  so  much  of  the  above  amend- 
ment as  is  contained  in  the  following  words  :  "  if,  in  his  opinion) 
the  public  interest  shall  require." 

On  this  proposition,  Mr.  Hill  asked  for  the  yeas  and  nays  ;  which 
were  ordered;  and  the  question  being  taken  on  Mr.  Southard's 
motion,  it  was  decided  as  follows  : 

YEAS — Messrs.  Benton,  Black,  Clay,  Clayton,  Davis,  Ewing 
of  Ohio,  Grundy,  Hendricks,  Hubbard,  Kent,  Knight,  Leigh,  Linn, 
Naudain,  Niles,  Prentiss,  Rives,  Robbins,  Ruggles,  Shepley,  Sou- 
thard, Swift,  Tallmadge,  Tomlinson,  Walker,  White— 26. 

NAYS— Messrs.  Hill,  King  of  Georgia,  Wright— 3. 

The  amendment  of  the  house,  as  amended,  was  then  concurred 
in. 

HOUSE  OP  REPRESENTATIVES,  May  10. 

The  house  proceeded  to  the  consideration  of  the  amendment  of 
the  senate  to  the  amendment  of  the  house  to  the  thirteenth  amend- 
ment of  the  senate  to  the  bill  (No.  53)  entitled  "  An  act  making 
appropriations  for  the  naval  service  for  the  year  1836." 

The  amendment  of  the  house  to  the  said  thirteenth  and  last 
amendment  of  the  senate,  is  as  follows  : 

Strike  out  all  of  the  two  additional  sections  added  by  the  senate, 
after  the  word  enacted,  in  the  first  said  additional  sections,  and 
insert  as  follows :  "  That  the  President  of  the  United  States  be, 
and  he  hereby  is,  authorized,  if,  in  his  opinion,  the  public  interest 
shall  require,  to  send  out  a  surveying  and  exploring  expedition  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean  and  South  Seas,  and  for  that  purpose  to  employ 
a  sloop  of  war,  and  to  purchase  or  provide  such  other  smaller  vessels 
as  may  be  necessary  and  proper  to  render  the  said  expedition 
efficient  and  useful ;  and  for  this  purpose,  the  sum  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby,  appropriated, 
out  of  any  money  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  approp  ated  ;  and, 
in  addition  thereto,  if  necessary,  the  President  of  the  United  States 


38; 


298  PASSAGE     OF     THE     BILL. 

is  authorized  to  use  other  means  in  the  control  of  the  Navy  De- 
partment, not  exceeding  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
for  the  objects  required." 

The  amendment  of  the  senate  to  the  said  amendment  is  as  fol- 
lows :  Strike  out  these  words,  viz  :  "  if,  in  his  opinion,  the  public 
interest  shall  require" 

The  question  was  stated,  that  the  house  do  concur  in  the  said 
amendment  of  the  senate. 

And  after  debate,  the  previous  question  was  moved  by  Mr. 
M'Kim,  and  being  demanded  by  a  majority  of  the  members  present, 

The  said  previous  question  was  put,  viz :  Shall  the  main  ques- 
tion be  now  put^? 

And  passed  in  the  affirmative.. 

The  main  question  was  then  put,  viz :  Will  the  house  concur  in 
the  said  amendment  of  the  senate  ? 

And  passed  in  the  affirmative. 

The  yeas  and  nays  being  desired  by  one-fifth  of  the  members 
present,  those  who  voted  in  the  affirmative  are — 


Mr.  John  Gluincy  Adams  Mr. 
Heman  Alien 
William  H.  Ashley 
Jeremiah  Bailey 
Andrew  Beaumont 
William  K,  Bond 
Nathaniel  B.  Borden 
Matthias  J.  Bovee 
John  W.  Brown 
Andrew  Buchanan 
Jesse  A.  Bynum 
Churchill  C.  Cambreleng 
George  Chambers 
John  Chaney 
Graham  H.  Chapin 
Timothy  Childs 
John  Coffee 
Thomas  Corwin 
John  Cramer 
Joseph  H.  Crane 
Edward  Darlington 
Edmund  Deberry 
Ulysses  F.  Doubleday 
John  Fairfield 
Samuel  Fowler 
Philo  C.  Fuller 
William  K.  Fuller 


John  Galbraith 
Francis  Granger 
James  Harper 
Samuel  S^Harrisoa 
Abner  Hazeltine 
Joseph  Henderson 
William  Hiester 
Samuel  Hoar 
Benjamin  C.  Howard 
Joseph  R.  Ingersol? 
Henry  F.  Janes 
Benjamin  Jones 
Andrew  T.  Judson 
William  Kennon 
Daniel  Kilgore 
John  Klingensmith,  jr. 
Amos  Lane 
Gerrit  Y.  Lansing 
Abbott  Lawrence- 
Gideon  Lee 
Dixon  H.  Lewis 
Levi  Lincoln 
Henry  Logan 
Thomas  C.  Love 
Job  Mann 


Mr.  Isaac  McKim 
Jesse  Miller 
Matthias  Morris 
Henry  A.,  Muhlcnberg 
George  W.  Owens 
James  Parker 
Gorham  Parks 
William  Patterson 
Stephen  C.  Philips 
David  Potts,  jr. 
John  Reed 
Joseph  Reynolds 
John  Robertson 
David  Russell 
Ebenezer  J.  Shield* 
William  N.  Shinn 
Nicholas  Sickles- 
David  Spangler 
Bellamy  Storer 
John  Taliaferro 
Francis  Thomas 
John  Thompson 
Isaac  Tottcey 
Samuel  F.  Vinton 
Taylor  Webster 


Thomas  M.  T.  McKennan  Thomas  J.  Whittlesey. 


CORRESPONDENCE 


I 


CORRESPONDENCE 

Between  J.  N.  REYNOLDS  and  ttie  Hon.  MAHLON  DICKERSON,  under 
the  respective  signatures  of  "Citizen"  and  "Friend  to  the  Navy," 
touching  the  South  Sea  Surveying  and  Exploring  Expedition ;  wherein 
the  objects  of  the  enterprise,  and  the  causes  which  have  delayed  its  de- 
parture, are  canvassed.  Originally  published  in  the  "  New-York  Times" 
of  July,  August,  and  September,  1837,  and  in  the  "  New- York  Courier 
and  Enquirer"  of  December  and  January,  1837-38. 


LETTERS,  &c. 


i. 

To  the  Honourable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 
SlR,  ^  v 

In  my  opinion  you  hold  one  of  the  most  important  stations  in\ 
this  or  in  any  other  country.  To  fill  it,  a  man  should  know  all 
that  is  known  of  the  seas,  continents,  and  islands  in  the  world. 
He  should  be  acquainted  with  their  commerce,  their  products,  and 
with  the  character  of  their  population.  There  have  been  men  of 
.mind  in  the  office  you  now  fill,  who  knew  their  deficiencies  in 
these  matters,  and  nobly  laboured  to  induce  the  nation  to  permit 
them  to  take  the  proper  means  to  obtain  this  information  for  the 
benefit  of  the  people  and  the  department  which  they  filled.  You 
have  succeeded  them ;  and,  permit  me  to  ask,  what  have  you  done 
to  carry  out  their  plans,  or  to  propose  new  ones  calculated  to  in- 
fuse a  proper  tone  and  feeling  in  the  service  over  which  you  pre- 
side ?  I  shall  speak  plainly  in  these  letters  which  I  am  about  to 
address  to  you.  I  take  no  pleasure  in  the  task,  but  feel  it  an  im- 
perative duty  to  do  so.  This  is  my  prerogative  as  a  native  citizen 
of  this  country.  The  official  acts  of  a  public  functionary  may  be 
fully  canvassed  by  the  humblest  citizen ;  and  while  he  confines 
himself  to  truth,  and  to  the  use  of  courteous  and  gentlemanly  lan- 
guage, no  merited  censure  can  he  charged  to  him.  My  feelings 
and  my  fame  are  identified  with  the  glory  of  our  arts,  our  arms, 
and  our  means  of  defence  as  much  as  yours  or  those  of  any  other 
citizen,  for  these  things  belong  to  the  whole  country. 

As  far  as  our  commerce  and  our  navy  are  concerned,  these  are, 
for  good  or  for  evil,  intrusted  to  you,  and  for  the  influence  you 
exercise  upon  them  you  must  be  answerable  at  the  bar  of  public 
opinion;  that  tribunal  which,  sooner  or  later,  v.iil  do  justice  to  the 
wronged,  however  humble,  and  cover,  with  its  deepest  denuncia- 
tions, the  unfaithful,  however  high  in  station ! 

In  the  freedom  of  my  soul,,  I  must  say  I  have  long  doubted 

' 

:',,-.   "' 


304 


LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN. 


your  capacity  for  the  high  office  you  hold ;  and  I  have  often  won- 
dered you  did  not  gratify  the  whole  community  by  retiring  from 
duties  you  must  find  so  difficult  to  perform,  by  seeking  that  re- 
pose and  quiet  generally  so  grateful  to  man  in  the  ninth  septen- 
v  nial  of  human  life. 

I  never  heard  a  sentence  from  your  lips,  or  read  a  paragraph 
from  your  pen,  that  gave  me  the  impression  that  the  compass  of 
your  mind,  on  public  measures,  was  not  better  adapted  to  razee 
or  to  cut  down  than  to  build  up  and  adorn  !  Still  I  thought  that 
you  would  adhere  strictly  to  the  discharge  of  your  duties,  particu- 
larly where  the  responsibility  of  devising  was  taken  from  your 
shoulders,  and  rested  in  other  quarters  able  to  bear  it ;  but  in  this 
T  was  unfortunately  disappointed. 

When  you  came  into  office,  if  you  had  looked  over  the  files  of 
papers  in  the  department,  you  must  have  known  that,  ten  years 
ago,  as  you  have  said,  in  the  days  of  Madison,  a  plan  was  devised 
for  an  expedition  to  the  South  Seas ;  that  memorials,  petitions, 
and  representations  had  come  into  Congress  from  all  quarters,  and 
seized  strongly  upon  the  attention  of  the  enlightened  members  of 
that  body,  and  that  steps  had  been  taken  by  them  for  such  an  un- 
dertaking. If  the  plan  suggested  was,  from  many  circumstances, 
suffered  to  sleep  a  while,  you  know  it  was  revived  with  fresh  ar- 
dour in  Congress,  and  acts  passed  for  carrying  the  project  forth- 
with into  effect. 

Your  opposition  to  such  an  expedition  was,  I  confess,  undis- 
guised. During  the  sessions  of  1834  and  5  you  were  opposed 
to  it  in  every  shape  and  form ;.  when  the  bill  passed  the  Senate, 
you  did  all  in  your  power  to  have  it  defeated  in  the  house ;  rec- 
ommending to  members — "  Strike  it  out,  strike  it  out !" 

But  you  often  declared  that  you  should  feel  under  obligations 
to  carry  into  effect  whatever  Congress  determined  in  regard  to 
the  subject.  Have  you  done  it  ?  Are  you  doing  it  ?  These  are 
questions  I  have  a  right  to  ask ;  and  they  may  be  asked  by  an  au- 
thority which  will  require  an  answer  T 

More  than  a  year  ago  the  expedition  was  authorized,  and  the 
navy  commissioners  stated  in  their  report  to  the  president  in 
January,  1836,  that  the  Macedonian  could  be  got  ready  for  sea  in 
nirety  days;  and  how  is  it  that  she  is  now  only  ready  to  receive 
her  men  in  June,  1837  ? 

oH 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  305 

Twelve  months  and  more  have  elapsed,  and  the  expedition 
still  lingers,  while  the  prospect  of  its  departure  seems  to  recede 
from  the  vision  of  the  public.  Was  this  delay  for  want  of  energy 
or  from  want  of  friendly  disposition  ?  The  account  of  the  expe- 
dition aroused  the  maritime  powers,  who  were  determined  that 
this  youthful  nation  should  not  run  away  with  all  the  glories  of 
discovery  and  examination  ;  and  while  you  have  been  weighing, 
and  pondering,  and  devising  means  for  delay  and  seeking  for 
causes  for  procrastinating  the  whole  enterprise,  the  French  gov- 
ernment has  fitted  out  three  expeditions  into  the  South  Seas  ;  and 
with  each  a  frigate — ay,  a  frigate — a  machine  so  ponderous  and 
ingulfing  to  your  imagination  !  These  well-equipped  expedi- 
tions have  moved  to  their  destinations  for  the  protection  of  com- 
merce, for  the  security  and  defence  of  their  fisheries,  and  for 
scientific  purposes ;  and  even  a  fourth  is  in  a  state  of  forwardness 
for  the  same  noble  purposes. 

Why  are  we  not  there  before  them  ?  Congress  made  the  most 
ample  provisions  for  the  expedition.  The  people  ask,  and  I  as 
one  of  them,  what  under  heaven  has  been  the  cause  of  this  pro- 
crastination ?  Will  the  energetic  people  of  this  country,  who,  in 
1797,  when  we  were  insulted  by  the  French  directory,  spread 
over  the  forests  of  our  country,  bowed  the  oak  beneath  the  axe, 
built  sloops  of  war,  armed  and  manned  them,  and  in  less  than  a 
hundred  days  from  the  orders  given  to  build  were  pouring  their 
thunders  into  the  French  cruisers  among  the  West  Indian  Islands ; 
can  these  men  and  their  descendants  brook  such  a  delay  with- 
out inquiry  ? 

But,  for  the  present,  I  will  not  pursue  this  inquiry  farther. 
You,  under  the  specious  appearance  of  sincerity,  opened  a  cor- 
respondence with  some  of  our  learned  societies,  asked  them  to 
recommend  suitable  persons  to  form  a  scientific  corps,  which  the 
executive  determined  should  accompany  the  expedition.  Gen- 
tlemen were  recommended  and  selected ;  men  sharing  largely  in 
the  confidence  of  men  of  science,  and  burning  to  distinguish 
themselves  in  their  departments. 

I  have  heard  it  intimated  that  you  had  some  pretensions  to  sci- 
ence, and  that  you  were  a  member  of  the  philosoobical  society. 
From  that  circumstance  I  should  have  expected  tiiat  you  would 
deal  out  a  different  measure  of  justice  to  the  members  of  the  scien- 

39 


306  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

tific  corps.  Why  have  they  not  been  called  together,  and  their  du- 
ties assigned  them,  and  facilities  given  for  the  various  and  extensive 
preparations  necessary  for  their  respective  departments,  in  pursu- 
ance of  the  written  request  or  order  of  the  late  energetic  executive, 
under  date  of  February  25th  last  ?  No  one  knows  better  than  you 
that  the  late  executive  was  fully  resolved  that  the  expedition,  both 
in  its  civil  and  naval  departments,  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  should 
go  to  sea  wanting  in  nothing  that  could  tend  to  promote  its  ultimate 
object  and  triumphant  success.  It  never  occurred  to  his  lofty  and 
indomitable  spirit  that  petty  excuses  would  be  made  by  any  offi- 
cer of  his  for  delays  in  a  great  undertaking ;  nor  did  he  wish  that 
the  scientific  corps  should  be  sent  on  board  at  the  hour  of  sailing 
like  a  guard  of  marines.  Of  his  share  in  this  expedition  I  shall 
hereafter  have  occasion  to  speak.  You  cannot  soon  forget  it,  nor 
the  manner  in  which  he  used  to  stir  you  up,  as  you  have  often 
complained  of  what  he  made  you  do.  Well  do  you  know  that 
even  in  sickness  he  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  expedition ;  and,  had 
his  wishes  been  complied  with,  the  expedition  would  now  be  doub- 
ling the  cape,  and  every  one  engaged  in  the  enterprise  full  of 
hopes  of  having  immediate  opportunities  of  fulfilling  their  coun- 
try's expectations. 

I  shall  reserve  many  things  for  future  consideration,  and  now 
pass  to  your  last  attempt  to  strangle  the  expedition.  Now,  at  the 
eleventh  hour  of  the  thirteenth  moon  of  the  expedition,  a  new  de- 
vice is  got  up  by  you,  if  not  to  destroy  it  altogether,  for  that  you 
cannot  do,  yet  to  cut  it  down,  derange  its  plans,  and  thereby  ren- 
der it  inadequate  to  meet  the  expectations  of  Congress,  of  the  late 
executive,  and  of  the  whole  country. 

You  have  now  appointed  a  board  of  naval  officers,  consisting  of 
Commodores  Chauncey,  Morris,  Warrington,  Patterson,  and  Wads- 
worth,  to  assist  you  in  making  up  your  mind  on  the  proper  means 
requisite  for  the  exploring  expedition.  These  are  all  honourable 
men,  whose  merits  and  virtues  have  been  tried  and  found  true  and 
trusty  in  days  gone  by  ;  and  a  most  ungracious  duty  have  you  as- 
signed them.  Deceive  not  yourself,  sir,  the  intelligence,  the  spirit, 
and  pride  of  the  country  have  been  awakened  upon  this  subject, 
and  will  not  sleep  again ;  and  long,  and  deep,  and  withering  will  be 
the  denunciations  against  the  man  or  men  who  shall  lay  Vandal 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN  307 

hands  upon  this  enterprise,  in  the  success  of  which  the  honour  of 
our  country  is  so  deeply  concerned. 

But,  sir,  have  you  presented  the  whole  case  to  this  board  in  a 
proper  light  ?  I  fear  not.  I  have  been  informed,  from  good  au- 
thority, that  the  whole  case  has  not  been  presented  to  them  by 
your  instructions.  For  what  was  this  board  instituted  (stripped 
of  all  disguise)  but  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  the  deliberate  opinions 
of  the  people  of  the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled  ?  Will 
these  officers  thank  you  for  such  an  unenviable  office  1  It  will 
be  seen,  if  they  are  ready  to  say,  that  Congress  knew  nothing  of 
the  subject,  and  that  the  force  authorized  by  that  body,  and  deemed 
necessary  by  President  Jackson,  after  he  had  examined  more 
thoroughly  into  the  objects  of  the  expedition  than  you  have  ever 
done,  was  too  large  for  the  attainments  of  the  objects  proposed. 

Had  the  duties  of  this  board  been  confined  to  subjects  relating 
to  naval  matters,  to  the  examination  of  the  vessels,  for  instance, 
there  would  have  been  no  complaint ;  but  you  have  asked  them  to 
revise  the  act  under  which  you  have  proceeded.  Every  one  knows 
that  the  force  to  be  employed  on  any  enterprise  must  depend  en- 
tirely upon  the  objects  to  be  accomplished  by  it.  Had  you  given 
this  board  instructions,  fully  and  fairly  setting  forth  the  great  la- 
bours the  expedition  was  expected  to  perform,  which  have  been 
so  clearly  set  forth  in  the  proceedings  of  Congress  that  he  who 
runs  may  read,  the  country  would  have  had  no  fears  of  their  re- 
ducing the  force  provided  and  deemed  indispensable  by  the  friends 
of  the  expedition ;  but,  if  confined  to  your  limited  instructions, 
that  board  can  only  take  a  partial  view  of  the  subject,  and,  of 
course,  give  you  but  a  partial  answer. 

Jf  there  be  any  member  on  that  board  who  thinks  the  present 
force  is  unnecessary  for  all  the  great  purposes  contemplated  by 
Congress  and  the  friends  of  the  measure,  the  public  would  be 
much  indebted  to  him  for  a  programme  of  his  views ;  I  am  no 
advocate  for  a  redundant  and  proud  equipment,  and,  for  one,  should 
be  glad  to  see  them. 

But,  in  sober  truth,  what  instructions  have  you  given  this  board  ? 
Will  you  tell  the  public  the  whole  story,  and  let  the  Senate,  and 
House  of  Representatives,  and  the  friends  of  the  expedition  become 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  all  your  views  ?  Perhaps  this  would 
be  asking  too  much ;  but,  certainly,  in  this  case  you  are  bound  to 


308  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

furnish  us  with  all  your  doings  fairly  and  above-board.  Secrecy 
is  unworthy  of  you  and  the  station  you  occupy.  You  have  in- 
structed this  board  in  such  a  manner  as  to  shackle  their  opinions, 
if  I  am  not  grossly  deceived.  Is  it  not  something  in  this  con- 
tracted form  ? 

"  The  objects  of  the  expedition  are  to  explore  the  seas  of  the 
Southern  Hemisphere,  more  particularly  in  high  latitudes,  and 
in  regions  as  near  to  the  South  Pole  as  may  be  approached  with- 
out danger ;  to  make,  in  the  regions  thus  to  be  explored,  all  prac- 
ticable surveys  and  observations,  with  accurate  descriptions  of 
the  same,  so  far  as  they  may  be  connected  with  the  geography  or 
hydrography  by  which  the  interests  of  commerce  and  navigation 
may  be  promoted."  Perhaps  you  may  have  dropped  a  word  about 
science  at  the  close,  and  intimated  that  the  vessels  might,  during 
the  cruise,  go  north  of  the  line,  though  for  what  purpose  you  do 
not  say. 

This,  if  I  am  not  misinformed,  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and 
altitude  of  your  instructions,  if  not  the  very  words. 

Why  did  you  forget — no,  why  did  you  omit  the  major  part  of 
your  subject  ?  the  great  commercial  interests  among  the  islands 
of  the  Pacific,  and  the  thousand  ways  in  which  those  noble  inter- 
ests might  be  examined,  extended,  and  secured  by  this  expedition  ? 
Have  not  the  memorials  from  Nantucket,  New-Bedford,  New- 
London,  Salem,  and  other  great  commercial  places,  given  you  any 
light  upon  the  subject  ?  Have  they  not,  "  in  thoughts  that  breathe 
and  words  that  burn,"  told  you,  through  Congress,  the  difficulties, 
the  dangers  our  fisheries  have  to  encounter  in  those  seas  ?  Have 
they  not,  in  the  deep  impassioned  feeling  of  their  hearts,  implored 
their  country  to  look  after  their  brethren  in  bondage  on  desolate 
or  savage  islands  ?  And  you,  in  your  instructions  to  this  gallant 
board,  have  mentioned  but  little  more  than  the  object  of  getting  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  South  Pole,  and  there  to  make  surveys  for 
the  benefit  of  commerce !  This  same  plan  of  misrepresenting  the 
objects  of  the  expedition  was  tried  by  its  opponents  last  winter 
before  Congress,  and  failed.  Do  you  expect  to  be  more  successful 
in  urging  the  same  plea  before  this  board  ?  I  am  not  done  with 
this  point  yet.  Every  friend  to  the  expedition  can  bear  witness 
that  you  have  misrepresented  his  wishes  in  regard  to  the  whole 
enterprise.  In  vliat  light  do  you  place  the  merchants  and  others 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  309 

who  have  addressed  Congress  on  this  subject,  and  how  do  you 
treat  the  members  of  that  body  who  voted  for  the  expedition,  by 
stating  that  the  things  you  mentioned  to  the  board  of  officers  were 
the  great  objects  of  their  solicitude  and  protection.  Did  you  sup- 
pose, when  you  penned  those  instructions,  that  you  were  compli- 
menting the  late  executive  by  saying  that  the  object  of  the  expe- 
dition -was  to  go  as  near  to  the  South  Pole  as  possible,  and  that, 
for  that  purpose,  he  had  been  so  unacquainted  with  his  duties  as 
to  assign  the  present  force.  I  do  you  no  injustice  ;  such  is  the 
plain  interpretation  of  your  acts.  The  decisions  of  that  execu- 
tive have  been  universally  approved  by  the  friends  of  the  expedi- 
tion ;  its  enemies  alone  are  hawking  at  it,  wishing  to  derange  and 
alter  what  they  have  not  the  power  entirely  to  destroy.  You  re- 
spected, or  affected  to  respect,  that  distinguished  man's  opinions 
when  he  was  in  power.  Have  you  forgotten  him  and  his  opin- 
ions in  the  short  period  of  four  little  months  ? 

I  have  now  stated  a  few  outlines  of  the  case,  simply  that  the 
people  may  inquire  of  your  doings,  or  your  undoings,  or  your 
nondoings !  It  is  with  your  acts  I  am  engaged  ;  with  your  mo- 
tives I  have  nothing  to  do.  I  leave  them  to  the  conjectures  of  the 
public,  and  to  the  depths  of  your  own  bosom. 

If  you,  by  the  management  you  have  adopted,  can  draw  from 
the  board  you  have  appointed  such  a  report  as  will  suit  your  views, 
and  be  made  the  pretext  for  cutting  down  the  expedition,  you  will 
know  that  such  a  course  will  not  justify  your  conduct  at  the  public 
tribunal  to  which  I  have  summoned  you,  and  intend  to  hold  you, 
until  you  have  put  in  your  plea  of  justification  and  ventured  the 
issue  upon  it.  I  am  but  a  citizen,  holding  no  office  of  honour,  but 
I  know  my  rights,  and,  knowing,  "  dare  maintain  them."  I,  as  a 
citizen,  have,  by  the  constitution,  the  privilege  to  call  your  atten- 
tion to  your  duties.  This  is  a  writ  of  right,  I  ask  no  leave  of 
court  for  filing  it ;  and  shall  fear  no  authority  in  pursuing  my  own 
course  in  the  premises.  The  high  hopes  and  deep  solicitude  of 
the  nation  have  been  trifled  with  by  you  alone  ;  every  other  pub- 
lic functionary  has  given  his  consent,  or  been  silent.  Do  you 
aspire  to  the  enviable  fame  of  having  thwarted  the  nation  in  a 
plan  for  its  benefit  and  distinction  ?  If  you  do,  you  may  go  down 
to  posterity  with  all  the  honours  you  deserve. 

I  have  said  your  instructions  to  the  board  were  a  perversion  of 


310  LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN. 

the  great  objects  of  the  expedition  ;  that  you  had  brought  before 
them  but  a  partial  view  of  the  subject ;  and  in  my  next  letters  I 
shall  proceed  to  prove  them  so. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

New-York,  June  29, 1837. 


II. 

To  the  Honourable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 

SIR, 

You  will  remember  the  conclusion  of  my  last  number.  It  was 
there  intimated  that  your  instructions  to  the  naval  board  did  not 
convey  an  impartial  and  just  view  of  the  great  objects  of  the  ex- 
pedition. I  promised  that  in  my  next  I  would  prove  my  asser- 
tion, and  shall  proceed  to  do  so. 

Fortunately  for  my  purpose,  there  are  ample  records  which 
bear  directly  and  luminously  upon  the  point  at  issue.  To  these 
documents  I  shall  mainly  confine  myself;  because,  being  official 
and  on  file  in  the  naval  department,  you  can  have  access  to  them 
at  any  moment,  and  can  therefore  the  more  easily  judge  of  the 
fairness  of  the  testimony  I  shall  extract  from  them.  No  one,  sir, 
can  turn  over  the  pages  of  these  documents  and  fail  to  be  at  once 
convinced,  even  against  his  will,  that  the  whole  action  of  Congress 
has  been  based  upon  memorials  from  various  sections  of  the 
country,  and  more  especially  from  that  portion  occupied  by  our 
fellow-citizens  interested  in  the  whale-fishery,  and  the  multifarious 
traffic  carried  on  among  the  countless  islands  of  the  great  North 
and  South  Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans. 

The  memorials  to  which  I  refer  are  now  before  me.  Among 
them  is  one  from  Nantucket  as  far  back  as  November,  1828.  As 
regards  the  whale-fishery,  the  memorialists  remark : 

"  Whether  viewed  as  a  nursery  of  bold,  hardy  seamen,  or  the 
employment  of  capital  in  one  of  the  most  productive  modes,  or  as 
furnishing  an  article  of  indispensable  necessity  to  human  comfort, 
it  seems  to  your  petitioners  to  be  especially  deserving  the  public 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  311 

care.  The  increased  extent  of  the  voyages  now  pursued  by  the 
trading  and  whaling  ships  into  seas  but  little  explored,  and  in  parts 
of  the  world  before  unknown,  has  increased  the  cares,  the  dangers, 
and  losses  of  our  merchants  and  mariners.  Within  a  few  years 
their  cruises  have  extended  from  the  coasts  of  Chili  and  Peru  to 
the  Northwest  Coast,  New-Zealand,  and  the  islands  of  Japan. 
This  increase  of  risk  has  been  attended  by  an  increase  of  loss. 
Several  vessels  have  been  wrecked  on  islands  and  reefs  not  laid 
down  on  any  chart,  and  the  matter  acquires  a  painful  interest  from 
the  fact  that  many  ships  have  gone  into  those  seas,  and  no  soul 
has  survived  to  tell  their  fate.  They  therefore  pray  that  an  ex- 
pedition may  be  fitted  out  under  the  sanction  of  government  to 
explore  and  survey  the  islands  and  coasts  of  the  Pacific  seas,  and, 
as  in  duty  bound,  will  ever  pray,"  &c. 

This  memorial,  emanating  from  an  intelligent,  hardy,  industrious, 
and  enterprising  people,  was  accompanied  by  many  similar  peti- 
tions from  other  places,  all  breathing  the  same  spirit,  and  couched 
in  the  like  simple  yet  forcible  language.  It  never  occurred  to 
these  petitioners  that  their  whaling  operations,  extending  through- 
out the  numerous  groups  of  islands  stretching  from  the  western 
shores  of  South  America  to  the  confines  of  Asia,  could  be  partic- 
ularly benefited  by  surveys  "  as  near  the  South  Pole  as  can  be 
approached  without  danger!"  The  committee  on  naval  affairs 
had  charge  of  the  memorials  adverted  to.  What  thought  they  of 
the  matter  ?  Seven  out  of  nine  of  their  number  were  in  favour  of 
the  expedition.  General  Ripley,  of  Maine,  made  the  report  on 
the  25th  March,  1828.  He  began  by  allusion  to  the  weight  of 
character  of  the  memorialists,  and  the  importance  of  the  opinions 
they  expressed,  and  concluded  in  the  following  words : 

"  The  dangers  to  which  an  immense  amount  of  property  is  ex- 
posed, as  well  as  the  hazard  to  human  life,  for  the  want  of  knowl- 
edge by  more  accurate  surveys  of  regions  to  which  our  commerce 
is  extending,  and  the  probable  new  sources  of  wealth  which  may 
be  opened  and  secured  to  us,  seem  to  your  committee  not  only  to 
justify,  but  to  demand  the  appropriation  recommended.  They 
therefore  report  a  bill  for  that  purpose." 

Are  the  dangers  to  which  this  immense  amount  of  property  is 
exposed,  and  the  hazard  to  human  life,  here  spoken  of  as  existing, 
in  regions  "  as  near  as  can  be  approached  to  the  South  Pole  ?" 


312  LETTERS    OP   A    CITIZEN. 

Would  surveys  in  that  quarter  render  the  property  endangered 
more  secure,  or  add  to  the  safety  of  our  mariners  by  restraining 
the  untamed  savage  of  the  tropic  isles  ? 

Between  the  committee  and  the  then  secretary  of  the  navy  an 
interchange  of  opinion  took  place.  The  latter  said — 

"  I  entertain  the  opinion  that  such  an  expedition  is  expedient. 
My  reasons  are  briefly  these :  That  we  have  an  immense  and 
increasing  commerce  in  that  region,  which  needs  the  protecting 
kindness  of  government,  and  may  be  greatly  extended  by  such  an 
expedition.  The  commercial  operations  carried  on  in  that  quarter 
are  difficult  and  hazardous.  They  are  correctly  represented  in  the 
memorial  of  the  inhabitants  of  Nantucket,  to  which  I  would  refer, 
as  well  as  to  some  of  the  many  other  memorials  which  have  been 
addressed  to  Congress  on  this  subject.  It  would  seem  wise  in 
government  to  render  these  commercial  operations  less  hazardous 
and  less  destructive  to  life  and  property.  The  commerce  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean  affords  one  of  the  best  nurseries  for  our  seamen. 
An  expedition  such  as  that  proposed  would  be  calculated  to  in- 
crease that  class  of  citizens  ;  an  increase  in  which  the  government 
and  nation  are  deeply  interested." 

It  is  unnecessary  to  dwell  longer  upon  the  records  of  that  day 
Sufficient  information  has  been  given  to  leave  no  doubt  of  the 
opinions  then  entertained  by  men  who  had  thoroughly  investigated 
the  subject.  You  were  at  that  time  a  member  of  the  United  States 
Senate  ;  but,  as  the  affair  never  came  fairly  before  that  body  for 
discussion,  you  may  have  forgotten  these  matters.  I  proceed, 
therefore,  to  a  later  period,  embracing  the  action  of  Congress  since 
you  have  been  secretary  of  the  navy.  Of  the  transactions  of  the 
legislature  within  that  interval  I  cannot  suppose  you  uninformed, 
because  such  want  of  information  would  almost  imply  a  dereliction 
of  public  duty. 

Mr.  Pearce,  of  Rhode  Island,  to  whom  the  country  is  much  in- 
debted for  the  ability  and  zeal  with  which  he  advocated  this  meas- 
ure before  the  committee  on  commerce,  on  the  seventh  of  Febru- 
ary, 1835,  made  a  long  report,  which  was  accompanied  by  a  bill 
providing  for  an  expedition.  He  commenced  by  stating  that  the 
number  and  character  of  the  memorialists,  together  with  the  opin- 
ions they  had  expressed  upon  the  subject  of  their  petition,  had 
called  the  committee  to  an  attentive  and  careful  consideration  of 

V  -'•>'-",  -•:.'*• 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  313 

the  objects  to  be  attained  by  the  projected  undertaking,  as  well  as 
of  the  facts  and  reasoning  adduced  in  its  favour.  He  then  went 
into  a  full  examination  of  our  great  interests  in  the  North  and 
South  Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans,  and  pointed  out  the  numerous 
ways  in  which  those  interests  might  be  rendered  more  secure,  as 
well  as  greatly  extended,  by  an  efficient  expedition.  He  noticed 
the  action  of  the  legislature  of  his  own  state  during  the  October 
session  of  1834,  in  which  that  body  recommended  the  enterprise 
to  the  favourable  consideration  of  Congress,  as  "  highly  important 
to  our  shipping  and  commercial  interests"  What  shipping  and 
commercial  interests  have  we  near  the  South  Pole  ?  But  the  leg- 
islature did  not,  perhaps,  exactly  understand  the  import  of  the  lan- 
guage they  used. 

To  the  memorial  from  the  East  India  Marine  Society  of  Salem, 
Massachusetts,  the  committee  made  special  reference.  That 
society  comprises  among  its  members  a  larger  number  of  practi- 
cal seamen  than  any  other  in  the  United  States.  By  its  constitu- 
tion no  one  is  eligible  to  membership  who  has  not  doubled  either 
Cape  Horn  or  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  language  of  such 
a  body  of  men  is  the  language  of  experience.  They  ask  that  an 
expedition  be  fitted  out  under  the  sanction  of  the  government,  the 
objects  of  which  shall  be  to  examine  the  numerous  places  of  trade 
already  visited  for  commercial  purposes  by  our  enterprising  citi- 
zens, and  to  open  new  channels  for  the  extension  of  traffic  by  the 
survey  of  such  groups  of  islands  in  the  North  and  South  Pacific 
Oceans  as  are  imperfectly  explored  or  entirely  unknown  ;  to  as- 
certain their  true  positions  on  the  charts ;  examine  their  harbours 
and  mercantile  or  agricultural  capabilities ;  and  to  bring  about  such 
a  friendly  intercourse  with  the  natives  as  shall  prevent  the  effusion 
of  blood. 

They  speak  of  having  themselves  been  in  those  seas,  and  of 
experiencing,  in  severe  losses  and  painful  solicitude,  the  want  of 
national  protection — protection  from  the  dangerous  reef,  guaran- 
tied by  a  well-ascertained  knowledge  of  its  position,  as  also 
against  savages,  who  can  only  be  deterred  from  lawless  violence 
by  being  made  sensible  of  our  power  to  restrain  and  punish  them. 

They  have  "  seen  and  felt  the  dangers  our  vessels  are  exposed 
to  for  the  want  of  such  protection  as  an  expedition  fitted  out  for 
the  express  purpose  alone  can  give."  They  enforce  their  views 
O  40 


314  LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN. 

by  calling  the  attention  of  Congress  to  a  single  point,  the  Feejee 
or  Beetee  Islands.  This  group  consists  of  sixty  or  more  in  num- 
ber, of  which  there  is  no  chart  pointing  out  their  harbours,  shoals, 
&c.,  and  yet  no  less  than  twelve  vessels  from  the  single  port  of 
Salem  have  been  engaged  in  procuring  from  this  cluster  biche- 
le-mer,  shells,  and  other  commodities,  in  exchange  for  which  east- 
ern cargoes  are  brought  into  our  country,  thus  contributing  no  in- 
considerable amount  to  our  national  revenue.  Many  mariners 
have  been  killed  by  the  natives,  their  vessels  lost  or  damaged,  and 
the  sum  total  of  losses  would  go  far  towards  paying  the  expenses 
of  an  expedition. 

Are  the  Feejee  Islands  near  the  South  Pole  ? 

The  committee  embraced  in  their  report  a  letter  from  one  of 
the  most  practical,  liberal-minded,  and  intelligent  officers  in  our 
service,  Commodore  Downes.  It  was  written  at  the  request  of  a 
member  of  Congress.  Commodore  Downes  had  had  some  expe- 
rience in  the  navigation  of  the  less  frequented  parts  of  the  Pacific 
at  an  early  period  of  his  life.  During  his  voyage  in  the  Potomac 
an  opportunity  offered  to  add  materially  to  the  knowledge  acquired 
in  former  years.  While  circumnavigating  the  globe,  in  accom- 
plishing which  he  crossed  the  equator  six  times,  and  varied  his 
course  from  forty-two  degrees  north  to  fifty-seven  degrees  south 
latitude,  he  had  never  found  himself  beyond  the  limits  of  our  com- 
mercial marine  !  The  accounts  given  of  the  dangers,  privations, 
and  losses  to  which  our  shipping  and  seamen  are  exposed  from 
the  extension  of  our  trade  into  seas  but  little  known,  so  far,  in 
his  opinion,  from  being  exaggerated,  "  would  admit  of  being  placed 
in  bolder  relief,  and  the  protection  of  government  implored  in 
stronger  terms."  He  spoke  from  practical  experience. 

Pursuing  the  labours  of  the  committee,  you  will  find  that  which 
must  startle  you,  when  contrasted  with  some  of  your  recently  ex- 
pressed opinions.  That  body  hold  up  to  your  view  the  policy 
adopted  by  other  countries  for  the  protection  of  their  fisheries, 
and  show  how  these  very  fisheries  have  been  extended  by  ex- 
ploring expeditions.  The  British  nation  has  disbursed  millions 
in  bounty  to  its  whalers.  The  American  whaler  has  received  no 
bounty.  He  requires  none.  He  asks  of  his  government  only 
'  protection. 

More  especially,  permit  me  to  call  your  attention  to  the  very 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  315 

last  paragraph  in  the  able  report  to  which  I  have  alluded ;  it  is 
much  to  the  point,  and  you  may  draw  instruction  from  it.  Yea, 
more,  it  will  furnish  you  with  an  argument  to  refute  the  contempti- 
ble fabrication  of  the  weak  marplotting  enemies  of  this  truly  na 
tional  enterprise,  who,  in  the  face  of  two  hundred  pages  of  printed 
documents,  have  had  the  effrontery  to  say  the  expedition  would 
have  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  protection  of  commerce  in  the 
regions  to  be  examined.  I  will  give  the  authors  of  this  device  a 
withering  review  before  I  have  done.  Let  them  prepare  for  it. 
I  know  them,  and  may  feel  it  my  duty  to  drag  them  from  their 
dark  retreats,  perfectly  regardless  who  may  be  found  in  their 
company,  or  what  aspect  they  may  wear  when  exposed  to  the  fair 
face  of  day. 

The  advocates  for  the  expedition,  whether  in  or  out  of  Con- 
gress, have  ever  been  ready  to  meet  their  opponents  in  open  and 
manly  discussion ;  but  they  have  had  little  of  this  kind  of  opposi- 
tion to  encounter.  What  has  been  frank,  bold,  and  above-board  on 
the  one  hand,  has  been  met  by  cowardly,  ignorant,  or  wilful  mis- 
representation on  the  other.  Those  who  originated,  authorized, 
and  sanctioned  the  enterprise  are  responsible  to  the  country  for 
its  results.  In  courtesy,  in  common  justice,  they  should  be  allowed 
to  influence  its  organization,  and  to  employ  the  force  which,  in  all 
sincerity,  they  deem  indispensable  to  its  ultimate  and  triumphant 
success.  Yes,  sir,  the  objects  of  the  voyage,  the  plan  of  ths  voy- 
age, and  the  force  to  be  employed,  are  defensible,  have  been  de- 
fended, and  can  be  defended  before  the  nation  and  the  world. 
Have  their  opponents  met  them  in  argument  ?  They  have  not, 
they  cannot,  they  dare  not,  under  the  responsibility  of  a  name. 

But  to  the  report.  "  While  your  committee,  in  coming  to  their 
conclusion  in  recommending  such  an  expedition  as  has  been 
prayed  for  by  the  memorialists,  have  been  influenced  by  commer- 
cial views,  and  place  the  policy  of  the  measure  solely  on  these 
grounds,  they  are  not  indifferent  to  the  valuable  fund  of  knowledge 
which  may  be  gathered  during  the  voyage,  and  which,  properly 
analyzed  and  written  out,  may  be  interesting  not  only  to  the  Amer- 
ican people,  but  to  the  whole  civilized  world." 

Here  I  might  pause  and  appeal  to  the  intelligence  of  the  coun- 
try if  I  have  not  made  out  my  case,  and  convicted  you  of  having 
misrepresented — I  do  not  say  intentionally — the  true  objects  of 


316  LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN. 

the  expedition  in  your  instructions  to  the  board.  Let  the  mem- 
bers of  that  board  report.  For  the  objects  to  be  attained  you  state 
the/orce  designated  is  too  large.  For  those  objects,  as  under- 
stood by  Congress  and  the  whole  country,  neither  you  nor  they 
will  venture  to  reduce  it. 

I  am  prepared  to  meet  you,  or  any  one  who  thinks  with  you, 
in  argument,  and  to  demonstrate  that  the  present  force  is  wisely 
proportioned  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  ends  proposed,  or,  if 
altered,  should  be  increased  rather  than  diminished.  Before  I 
have  done  with  you  I  will  go  still  farther,  and  prove  that  you  are 
in  honour  bound  not  only  to  cease  all  opposition,  but  to  fit  out  the 
expedition  on  its  present  plan,  and  that  you  cannot  persist  in  your 
present  course  without  a  sacrifice  of  honour  which  would  tarnish 
the  reputation  of  any  man  in  the  common  concerns  of  life. 

This  is  strong  language,  sir,  but  I  know  what  I  am  saying,  and 
hold  myself  responsible  for  what  I  have  said.     In  my  next  I  shall 
bring  the  matter  nearer  to  your  department  in  the  further  exami- 
nation of  your  precious  instructions. 
Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

New-York,  July  1, 1837. 
' 


III. 

To  the  Honourable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

Sm, 

I  proceed  to  a  further  examination  of  your  precious  instructions 
to  the  naval  board,  as  promised  in  the  conclusion  of  my  last  let- 
ter. I  feel  humiliation  in  the  task  of  holding  you  up  to  the  pub- 
lic gaze  as  unfaithful  to  your  duty  in  neglecting  to  execute  a 
twice-repeated  law  of  Congress,  unfortunately  for  the  honour  of 
our  country  intrusted  to  your  hands.  I  still  deal  with  your  pub- 
lic acts.  In  the  private  walks  of  life  it  is  said  you  are  amiable 
and  kind.  I  am  glad  that  it  is  so.  To  your  observance  of  the 
courtesies  of  your  office  I  can  myself  bear  testimony.  I  can 
dwell  upon  them,  and  upon  the  domestic  virtues  claimed  for  you, 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  317 

with  the  same  kind  of  fervid  pleasure  the  weary  traveller  may  be 
supposed  to  feel  when  gazing  upon  some  green  spot  and  gushing 
fountain  in  the  midst  of  the  desert,  while  all  around  is  barren  and 
unproductive — a  hungry  soil,  that  swallows  up  the  fattening 
showers,  poured  by  bounteous  Heaven  upon  its  steril  bosom,  but 
in  return  gives  forth  nor  fruit,  nor  flower,  nor  herb  to  gladden 
the  eye  and  cheer  the  interminable  waste. 

But  to  my  task.  Do  you,  sir,  remember,  that  on  the  23d  of 
January,  1835,  a  call,  in  the  form  of  a  resolution,  was  made  on 
you  by  Congress  for  an  original  report  of  J.  N.  Reynolds,  Esq., 
on  the  "  Islands,  reefs,  and  shoals  of  the  Pacific,  &c.,  &c. ;"  and 
that,  on  the  ensuing  day,  you  transmitted  said  report,  with  this 
note — "  When  no  longer  required,  it  is  respectfully  requested  it 
may  be  returned  ? 

MAHLON  DICKERSON.  " 

Allow  me,  sir,  to  ask  you,  in  the  most  respectful  manner,  what 
that  paper  contained.  You  cannot  plead  forgetfulness  of  its  con- 
tents, because  it  passed  through  your  hands  in  manuscript  form, 
and  soon  after  was  returned  to  your  department  a  printed  docu- 
ment of  some  forty  or  more  pages.  You  know,  sir,  that  docu- 
ment embraces  a  list  of  islands,  reefs,  and  shoals  discovered  by, 
and  noted  in,  the  logbooks  of  our  whalemen  during  the  last  thirty 
years,  as  they  gradually,  in  the  pursuit  of  their  vocation,  followed 
the  great  monsters  of  the  deep  into  unfrequented  seas  and  remote 
parts  of  the  globe. 

You  further  know,  sir,  that  that  document  contains  irresistible 
evidence  of  the  necessity  and  importance  of  the  labours  to  be  per- 
formed by  the  expedition  among  the  thousand  islands  erroneously 
laid  down  in  our  charts ;  and  among  others — to  the  extent  of  more 
than  half  that  number — not  laid  down,  nor  to  be  found  on  any 
chart,  however  recent  or  improved  its  construction.  This  was 
the  light  in  which  the  document  was  viewed  and  commented  on 
by  committees  who  made  reports,  and  by  members  who  alluded  to 
it  in  their  speeches  on  the  floor  of  Congress.  And  yet,  sir,  in  the 
face  of  all  this,  and  of  all  else  I  have  stated  and  have  to  state, 
you,  in  your  official  capacity  as  secretary  of  the  navy,  have  told 
the  board  to  look  mainly  to  the  means  of  getting  to  the  South 
Pole  or  near  it,  and  then,  forsooth,  to  see  if  the  present  force  be 
not  too  large  for  that  single  object  / 


318  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

Are  you  not  aware,  sir,  that,  throughout  those  wide-spread  seas, 
speckled  with  countless  islands,  we  have,  engaged  in  the  whale- 
fishery  only,  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  tons  of  ship- 
ping, valued  at  twelve  millions  of  dollars,  and  giving  employment 
to  not  less  than  ten  thousand  men,  to  say  nothing  of  the  increas- 
ing traffic  in  treasures  gleaned  from  coral  reefs,  and  in  the  prO" 
ductions  of  the  islands  ?  Are  you  not  cognizant  of  the  fact,  that 
the  combined  interests  of  all  the  other  commercial  nations  of  the 
earth  do  not  equal  ours  alone  in  those  seas?  You  cannot  but 
know,  sir,  that  these  islands  are  inhabited  by  every  variety  of  sav- 
age man  ;  that  our  vessels  have  been  wrecked  among  them,  often 
attacked,  and  sometimes  cut  off  by  them ;  our  mariners  massacred, 
or,  if  spared,  spared  only  to  wear  out  a  wretched  existence,  in  the 
captives'  hopeless  prayer  that  the  honour  and  justice  of  their 
country  might  be  aroused  to  rescue  them.  If  the  supplications 
of  disconsolate  and  heart-stricken  parents,  whose  sons  are  in 
bondage,  could  move  you,  how  soon  would  this  expedition  depart 
on  its  errand  of  mercy,  of  utility,  and  national  renown  !  All  these 
things  are  known  to  you,  sir,  and  yet  you  have  not  alluded  to 
one  of  them  in  your  instructions  to  the  naval  board,  in  which  you 
profess  to  set  forth  the  objects  of  the  enterprise.  Why,  in  the 
name  of  all  that  is  high,  and  noble,  and  manly,  have  you  thus 
compromitted  your  official  character  ?  I  feel  compassion  for  you 
in  the  unpleasant  predicament  in  which  you  stand,  and,  were  I  to 
consult  my  inclinations  rather  than  my  duty,  would  willingly  leave 
you  in  the  hands  of  the  public,  and  to  the  bitter  reminiscences  of 
your  own  mind.  But  this  may  not  be  ;  you  are  a  public  man, 
and  the  public  good  requires  that  I  should  go  on. 

Is  it  not  within  your  knowledge,  sir,  that  our  whale-ships  often, 
nay,  daily,  pass  by  islands  in  those  seas  to  more  distant  ports  for 
refreshments  ;  while  those  very  islands,  if  surveyed,  their  har- 
bours pointed  out,  and  the  natives  awed  into  respect  by  a  judicious 
display  of  our  power,  would  furnish  in  abundance  the  necessaries 
or  refreshments  required  ?  Are  you  to  be  informed,  sir,  that  all 
barbarians  estimate  the  power  of  others  solely  by  contrasting  that 
power  with  their  own ;  and  that  many  of  these  islanders  have 
learned  to  distinguish  between  the  flags  of  different  countries,  and 
to  deride  one  nation  or  fear  another,  according  to  the  weakness  or 
strength  which  each  displays  in  its  naval  armament  ?  This  fact 


LETTERS   OF   A    CITIZEN.  319 

was  illustrated  in  1824,  when  the  British  government  sent  Lord 
Byron,  in  the  frigate  Blonde,  to  the  Sandwich  and  other  islands. 
What  was  the  effect  produced  on  the  minds  of  the  savages  by  the 
presence  of  that  ship  ?  So  firm  was  their  impression  that  there 
was  no  power  on  earth  equal  to  the  English,  that  the  American 
residents  and  traders  in  that  quarter  wrote  to  Commodore  Hull, 
then  commanding  the  Pacific  squadron,  requesting  that  he  would 
send  a  frigate  for  the  sole  purpose  of  doing  away  or  modifying  the 
feeling  which  the  visit  of  the  Blonde  had  produced  ;  and  you  may 
lay  your  hand  upon  the  evidence  of  this  fact  in  the  archives  of 
your  department.  Your  predecessor  sent  the  frigate  Potomac  to 
Quallah-Battoo  to  chastise  the  Malays,  whose  hands  were  red 
with  the  blood  of  our  countrymen.  Her  presence  on  that  coast, 
I  assert  without  fear  of  contradiction,  made  a  more  lasting  im- 
pression for  good  on  the  inhabitants  than  the  appearance  of  a 
dozen  sloops-of-war  could  have  done.  Had  you  been  then  in  of- 
fice, the  ghost  of  La  Perouse  *  *  *  but  I  forbear. 

I  presume  you  are  not  uninformed  that  the  French  have,  prob- 
ably, less  than  one  tenth  of  our  interest  afloat  in  the  North  and 
South  Pacific  Oceans ;  and  yet  they  have  despatched  three  frigates 
to  these  seas  avowedly  to  protect  and  extend  their  trade  and  fish- 
eries, and  to  subserve  the  purposes  of  science.  The  people  of 
this  country,  on  the  other  hand,  have  the  melancholy  spectacle 
presented  to  them  of  your  efforts  to  cut  down  the  first  similar  na- 
tional expedition  undertaken  by  this  great  republic,  and  that,  too, 
in  the  very  face  of  a  solemn  law  of  the  land  ! 

I  mentioned  the  name  of  La  Perouse.  The  loss  of  his  frigate 
some  half  century  or  more  ago  has  been  a  stereotyped  argument 
assumed  by  you  and  a  few  others  against  the  employment  of  a 
small  thirty-six  gun  ship.  But  now  the  tables  are  turned  ;  for,  if 
the  wreck  of  the  ship  alluded  to  be  quoted  as  a  precedent  against 
the  employment  of  vessels  of  that  class,  it  may  be  fully  met  by 
the  fact  that  France  has  since  despatched  three  frigates  into  the 
same  seas ;  thus  leaving  you  no  ground  to  stand  upon,  save  your 
paternal  solicitude  for  the  lives  of  those  who  may  embark! 

Is  it  possible,  at  this  late  period  of  your  life,  with  all  your  expe- 
rience, and  the  opportunities  you  have  had  to  expand  your  mind 
in  reflecting  on  and  investigating  the  great  concerns  of  nations, 
you  have  still  to  be  informed  that,  in  case  of  a  war  between  our 


320  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

country  and  any  of  the  first  maritime  powers  of  Europe,  this  gov- 
ernment would  be  compelled  to  dash  her  frigates,  if  not  her  larger 
vessels,  into  the  waters  to  which  I  refer  ?  There  she  has  a  com- 
merce ;  and  where  her  commerce  is,  there  must  be  her  navy  and 
her  ocean  conflicts  also.  What  would  be  thought  of  your  present 
policy  in  such  an  emergency  ?  and  what  would  be  thought  of  those 
naval  officers  who  have  echoed  your  sentiments  upon  the  subject  1 
We  are  now  at  peace  with  the  world,  and  this  is  the  season  to 
acquire  that  knowledge  which  would  most  assuredly  be  needed 
and  most  valuable  in  the  event  of  war. 

One  thing  is  certain  ;  were  I  the  enemy,  1  should  count  upon 
rich  prizes  in  the  Pacific  before  any  vessel  fitted  out  by  your  di- 
rection could  reach  me.  I  should  anticipate  at  least  twelve 
months  uninterrupted  pickings  among  the  American  whalers ; 
and  even  then,  in  consequence  of  La  Perouse  having  been  lost, 
I  should  expect  nothing  more  formidable  than  a  sloop-of-war  to 
come  after  me  among  the  islands  ! 

But  why  should  I  consume  more  time  in  exposing  this  part  of 
your  official  delinquencies  ?  You  cannot  defend  yourself.  Your 
maladministration  is  indefensible.  Why,  sir,  you  cannot  open 
the  document  containing  the  authority  under  which  you  act  with- 
out seeing,  on  every  page  of  the  Senate's  report,  a  complete  refu- 
tation of  the  extraordinary  position  you  have  assumed. 

You  cannot  look  over  the  columns  of  speeches  made  by  mem- 
bers, explaining  the  true  objects  of  the  enterprise,  without  meet- 
ing a  withering  rebuke.  Allow  me  to  commend  to  your  attention 
a  speech  of  singular  ability,  made  on  this  subject  by  Mr.  Hamar, 
of  Ohio ;  it  has  been  published  in  all  quarters  of  the  Union.  Per- 
haps the  enlarged  and  statesman-like  views  it  exhibits  may  render 
it,  though  not  incomprehensible,  at  least  unpalatable  to  you.  Nor 
does  Mr.  Hamar  stand  alone.  Mr.  Vinton,  indeed  the  whole  del- 
egation from  the  state  of  Ohio,  have  ever  stood  as  one  man  upon 
this  subject.  Their  weight  and  influence  have  told,  and,  if  need 
be,  will  again  tell ! 

But  the  most  extraordinary  part  of  this  story  remains  to  be  dis- 
closed. After  all  we  have  seen  in  the  character  of  your  in- 
structions to  the  naval  board,  and  the  object  proposed  by  those 
instructions,  what  will  the  community  think  when  informed  of 
the  fact  that,  for  a  considerable  time  after  the  expedition  had  been 


LETTERS    OF    A   CITIZEN.  321 

authorized  at  the  first  session  of  the  last  Congress,  you,  the  HON. 
MAHLON  DICKERSON,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  ridiculed  the  very 
idea  of  undertaking  to  explore  high  latitudes  south  !  To  give  an 
instance,  sir.  In  your  office,  on  one  occasion,  while  in  conversa- 
tion with  a  gentleman  of  unimpeachable  veracity,  you  said  it  was 
all  nonsense  to  talk  about  going  to  regions  near  the  South  Pole  ; 
and,  to  use  your  own,  not  very  classic,  language,  that  "none 
but  a  d — d  fool  would  think  of  it !  !  !  !  !"  And  yet,  for  some 
mysterious  and  inscrutable  purpose,  it  now  suits  your  pleasure 
to  pretend  that  this  is  the  great  leading  aim  and  object  of  the  en- 
terprise ! 

Thus  do  you  stand,  sir,  before  the  American  people — an  official 
spectacle,  such  as  has  been  rarely,  if  ever,  before  looked  upon.  It 
is  no  fancy  sketch  ;  would  to  Heaven,  for  your  own  sake  and  that 
of  our  common  country,  that  it  were.  I  have  charged  you  before 
the  tribunal  of  the  public  with  dereliction  of  duty ;  with  having 
misrepresented  the  objects  of  the  expedition  in  your  instructions 
to  the  naval  board ;  and  with  having  intended,  by  such  misrepre- 
sentation, to  draw  from  that  board  a  report,  to  be  used  as  a  pre- 
text for  reducing  the  force  authorized  by  law  to  be  employed  in 
the  enterprise.  Whether  I  have  not  fully  and  triumphantly  made 
out  my  case,  I  appeal  to  the  intelligence  of  the  community ;  to 
the  members  of  Congress  who  authorized  the  outfit ;  to  the  late 
executive,  and  those  members  of  his  cabinet  who  took  an  interest 
in  it ;  and  to  the  conductors  of  the  public  press  in  whose  columns 
the  great  national  purposes  of  the  expedition  have  been  so  often 
discussed  and  so  generously  supported. 

You  will  hear  from  me  again. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

New-York,  July  8,  1837. 

41 


322  LETTERS    OF    A   CITIZEN. 

IV. 

To  the  Honourable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

SIR, 

"  You  will  hear  from  me  again"  were  the  concluding  words  of 
my  last  letter.  With  that  letter  terminated  all  I  deemed  it  neces- 
sary to  say,  in  a  connected  form,  in  relation  to  your  extraordinary 
instructions  to  the  naval  board.  In  following  up  the  train  of 
your  official  doings,  though  I  may  now  be  compelled  to  take  a 
somewhat  wider  range,  I  shall,  nevertheless,  endeavour  to  adhere 
closely  to  the  text  and  closely  to  you. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1836,  the  bill  authorizing  the  expedition, 
in  despite  of  all  your  efforts  to  defeat  it,  passed  both  houses  of 
Congress,  and  receiving,  as  it  did,  the  cordial  sanction  of  the 
president,  became  the  law  of  the  land.  No  one  anticipated  fur- 
ther difficulty.  If  you,  however,  entertained  honest  convictions 
against  the  utility  of  the  enterprise,  or  apprehended  the  good  it 
might  do  would  be  purchased  at  too  dear  a  rate,  you  had  a  fine 
opportunity  of  enforcing  those  convictions  while  the  bill  was  -under 
deliberation ;  and  that  you  did  thus  exert  yourself,  with  an  energy 
which  you  have  seldom,  if  ever,  manifested  in  the  discharge  of 
your  official  duties,  was  apparent  at  the  time  to  every  observer. 
But  when,  as  I  have  stated,  the  whole  matter  was  settled  by  Con- 
gress, no  person  anticipated  any  further  opposition  from  you. 
Your  duty  then  became  simply  an  executive  duty ;  and  whether 
the  expedition  was  upon  too  large  or  too  small  a  scale,  whether  it 
would  cost  one  hundred  thousand  or  five  millions  of  dollars,  were 
contingences  for  which  you  were  not  responsible,  in  which  you 
had  no  official  concern,  and  about  which  you  had  no  right  to 
trouble  yourself. 

May  and  June  passed  away,  and  no  step  had  been  taken  by 
you  to  put  in  train  the  preparations  for  the  expedition.  Fifty  days 
had  thus  been  lost.  You  now  began  to  speak  plainly,  and  to 
hold  the  language  that  twelve  months  would  be  necessary  to 
complete  the  outfit.  Yes,  sir,  twelve  months  was  the  period  you 
named,  and  this,  be  it  remembered,  was  before  you  could  have 
foreseen  any  of  the  difficulties  to  which  you  have  since  ascribed 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  323 

all  the  subsequent  delay — with  what  justice  will  be  hereafter 
shown.  This  procrastinating  policy,  thus  early  developed,  met 
with  no  favour  from  the  president ;  and  it  was  not  until  he  had 
taken  the  matter  in  his  own  hands  and  overruled  you,  that,  for 
the  first  time,  you  made  yourself  acquainted  with  what  the  law 
required  you  to  do.  Yes,  sir,  amid  the  pressure  of  executive 
duty  incident  to  the  close  of  a  long  session,  and  while  on  the 
eve  of  his  departure  for  Tennessee,  the  president  put  you  into 
the  traces,  and  directed  the  whole  plan  of  preparation  to  be  carried 
immediately  into  execution,  in  a  spirit  and  on  a  scale  commensu- 
rate with  the  character  and  resources  of  the  country,  as  will  be 
seen  by  the  following,  which  appeared  in  the  Globe  on  the  13th 
of  July,  1836. 

"  We  learn  that  the  president  has  given  orders  to  have  the  ex- 
ploring vessels  fitted  out  with  the  least  possible  delay.  The  ap- 
propriation made  my  Congress  was  ample  to  ensure  all  the  great 
objects  contemplated  by  the  expedition,  and  the  executive  is  de- 
termined that  nothing  shall  be  wanting  to  render  the  expedition 
worthy  the  character  and  great  commercial  resources  of  the  coun- 
try. 

"  The  frigate  Macedonian,  now  undergoing  thorough  repairs  at 
Norfolk,  two  brigs  of  two  hundred  tons  each,  one  or  more  tenders, 
and  a  store-ship  of  competent  dimensions,  are,  we  understand, 
the  force  agreed  upon,  and  to  be  put  in  a  state  of  immediate 
preparation.  Captain  Thomas  Ap.  C.  Jones,  an  officer  possess- 
ing many  high  qualities  for  such  a  service,  has  been  appointed  to 
the  command ;  and  officers  for  the  other  vessels  will  be  imme- 
diately selected. 

"  The  Macedonian  has  been  chosen  instead  of  a  sloop-of-war 
on  account  of  the  increased  accommodation  she  will  afford  the 
scientific  corps,  a  department  the  president  has  determined  shall 
be  complete  in  its  organization,  including  the  ablest  men  that  can 
be  procured  ;  so  that  nothing  within  the  whole  range  of  every  de- 
partment of  natural  history  and  philosophy  shall  be  omitted.  Not 
only  on  this  account  has  the  frigate  been  selected,  but  also  for  the 
purpose  of  a  more  extended  protection  of  our  whalemen  and  tra- 
ders, and  to  impress  on  the  minds  of  the  natives  a  just  concep- 
tion of  our  character,  power,  and  policy.  The  frequent  disturb- 
ances and  massacres  committed  on  our  seamen  by  the  natives  in- 


324  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

habiting  the  islands  in  those  distant  seas  makes  this  measure  a 
dictate  of  humanity." 

When  this  article  appeared,  why  did  you  not  remonstrate  with 
the  president,  and  show  him  that  he  had  misunderstood  the  true 
objects  of  the  undertaking  ;  that  the  allusions  to  our  "  whalemen," 
to  the  "  protection  of  commerce,"  to  the  impression  contemplated 
to  be  produced  on  the  minds  of  the  natives  by  a  proper  exhibition 
of  our  "  character,  power,  and  policy,"  could  not  belong  to  an  ex- 
pedition intended  only  for  high  latitudes  ?  How  can  you  answer 
to  your  country  for  having  omitted,  at  that  early  period,  to  set  the 
head  of  the  nation  right,  and  to  correct  the  strange  notions  he  had 
formed  about  the  purposes  of  the  voyage  ? 

To  be  serious.  You  know,  sir,  it  was  the  wish  of  the  execu- 
tive at  that  time  to  be  able  to  say,  in  his  next  annual  message  to 
Congress,  "  The  expedition  has  sailed ;"  and  had  the  directions 
which  he  then  left  been  obeyed  in  good  faith,  such  had  been  his 
language  when  the  national  legislature  again  convened  ;  or,  at  any 
rate,  long  since  had  the  vessels  designated  been  ploughing  the 
waters  of  the  Pacific.  Sir,  in  your  heart  you  know  I  speak  the 
words  of  truth  and  soberness  ! 

In  October  the  president  returned  to  the  capital.  Do  you  re- 
member his  astonishment  and  displeasure  on  learning  the  little 
progress  which  had  been  made  during  his  absence  ?  You  had, 
however,  by  this  time  got  hold  of  an  excuse  for  the  delay — the 
impossibility  of  procuring  men.  I  will  examine  this  impossi- 
bility anon.  It  is  true,  you  had  despatched  an  agent  to  Europe  to 
procure  instruments,  and  had  sent  a  circular  tr  our  learned  so- 
cieties, asking  their  advice  and  opinions  as  to  the  organization  of 
the  scientific  department  of  the  enterprise.  You  received  from 
them  able  reports ;  but  the  reading  of  many  of  them,  if  you  have 
read  them  at  all,  has  been  a  labour  of  very  recent  date. 

The  season  was  now  far  advanced,  and  all  hope  of  sailing  du- 
ring the  autumn  had  passed  away.  Congress  was  soon  to  assem- 
ble, and  it  was  apparent  to  all  that  the  whole  subject  would  come 
once  more  before  that  body.  That  you  again  prepared  to  renew 
your  opposition  with  new  expectations  of  success,  your  acts,  as  I 
shall  examine  them,  will  abundantly  prove.  Did  you  ever  hear 
of  any  consultations  having  taken  place  before  the  precise  plan  of 
attack  was  agreed  upon  ?  Perhaps  it  is  hardly  fair  to  question 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  325 

you  too  closely  upon  this  point ;  so  I  will  waive  it,  and  allow  your 
official  acts  to  speak  for  themselves,  as  I  shall  take  them  up  in 
my  next  letter. 

It  was  now  well  ascertained  in  the  naval  service  that  you  had 
no  partiality  for  the  expedition,  nor  have  you  ever  been  known  to 
manifest  any  feelings  of  that  nature  towards  those  by  whom  it  was 
commanded.  He  who  could  depreciate  the  high  objects,  or  find 
most  fault  with  the  plan  and  scope  of  the  measure,  either  in  toto 
or  detail,  was  sure  of  finding  in  you  a  most  graciously-condescending 
and  patiently-listening  auditor.  You  have  often  said  that  the  offi- 
cers of  the  navy  were  opposed  to  the  expedition.  Did  man  ever 
labour  more  zealously  in  any  cause  than  you  have  done  to  produce 
this  very  opposition  ?  Why,  sir,  the  scientific  corps  has  frequently 
been  held  up  by  you  as  an  encroachment  upon  the  rights  of  those 
officers,  and  you  have  as  frequently  stated  that  to  be  one  reason 
why  the  whole  affair  was  so  unpopular  with  them.  This  prepos- 
terous sentiment,  so  freely-  and  perpetually  expressed  by  the  head 
of  the  department,  could  not  fail  to  produce  some  impression,  es- 
pecially among  the  less  informed  and  less  considerate  portion  of 
the  profession.  You  even  went  farther,  and  maintained  that  the 
officers  had  a  right,  if  not  to  fix  the  salaries  which  should  be  al- 
lowed men  of  science,  at  least  to  protest  against  their  compensa- 
tion exceeding  a  certain  amount  per  annum.  I  am  not  aware  how 
many  you  may  have  found  to  echo  this  opinion,  as  I  have  never 
myself  heard  any  such  language  from  the  profession. 

You  know  how  many  there  are  and  who  they  are  who  hold 
such  doctrine.  I  have  no  wish  to  learn  the  former  or  designate 
the  latter ;  but,  taking  you  as  the  authority,  we  are  bound  to  be- 
lieve that  such  sentiments  are  entertained,  and  that  the  ardour  of 
the  service  has  been  somewhat  cooled  towards  \jf\e  enterprise  on 
that  account.  Permit  me  to  say,  sir,  that  the  worst  enemy  of  the 
navy  could  adopt  no  measure  more  injurious  to  its  interests  than 
that  of  fomenting  causeless  jealousy  between  the  officer  and  the 
citizen  in  the  few  and  far-between  instances  in  which  they  are 
brought  together  on  duty.  The  title  of  citizen,  sir,  is  a  proud 
title.  This  is  a  country  of  citizens.  Citizens  make  the  navy, 
increase  or  diminish  it  at  their  pleasure,  appoint  and  support  its 
officers,  and  will  judge  them ! !  For  every  year  he  is  on  active 
duty,  an  officer  may  be  two  on  shore,  receiving  pay  in  the  latter 

EE 


326  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

as  well  as  in  the  former  case.  Of  this  the  citizens  make  no  com- 
plaint. They  have  created  a  navy  for  great  national  purposes, 
not  for  individuals.  If  the  more  intellectual,  better  informed,  and, 
of  course,  more  influential  portion  of  its  officers  did  not  form  a 
barrier  against  those,  to  the  service,  suicidal  pretensions  which 
have  received  your  sanction,  then,  indeed,  there  might  justly  be 
much  apprehension  for  the  success  of  the  expedition,  and  still 
more  for  the  prosperity  and  improvement  of  the  navy.  Let  those 
you  have  encouraged  in  these  extravagant  opinions,  be  they  few 
or  many,  of  high  rank  or  low,  assume  to  themselves  an  imagined 
importance,  and,  with  supercilious,  domineering  tone,  attempt  to 
sneer  at  civilians  and  oppose  their  employment — as,  according 
to  you,  they  have  already  done — on  board  public  vessels  where 
their  country  requires  their  services,  and  where  their  right  to  fill 
certain  stations  is  not  by  courtesy  or  sufferance,  but  derived  from 
authority  unquestionable  as  that  of  the  commander  himself — 
for  both  emanate  from  the  same  source ;  let  them  indulge  in  il- 
liberal, contracted  feelings  of  petty  jealousy  against  the  appoint- 
ment of  citizens  to  their  appropriate  provinces,  and  they  will  soon 
find  themselves  in  the  hands  of  a  giant,  who  knows  his  power  and 
will  use  it ! 

It  is  no  reproach  to  the  gentlemen  of  the  navy  that  they  have 
not  the  varied  scientific  knowledge  required  for  a  national  expe- 
dition such  as  has  been  directed  by  Congress  to  be  organized. 
They  are  only  open  to  censure  when,  forgetful  of  their  own  noble 
profession,  they  claim  to  assume  the  performance  of  duties  for 
which  their  previous  training  and  distinct  line  of  action  have  left 
them  totally  unqualified.  Our  public  vessels  have  been  round 
the  world,  and  our  officers  in  them,  among  islands  and  in  places 
rarely  visited  ;  but  what  contributions  to  science  have  resulted  ? 
Where  is  the  record  to  which  reference  can  be  made,  and  which 
affords  a  sufficient  guarantee  that  all  that  is  required  in  the  de- 
partment of  science  could  be  accomplished  by  the  profession,  at 
a  lime,  too,  when  the  whole  range  of  that  department  has  as- 
sumed such  a  determined  accuracy  of  detail  that  the  slightest 
blunder  would  subject  us  to  the  ridicule  of  the  scientific  world  ? 
Sir,  no  such  record  exists  j  and,  until  it  does  exist,  it  is  folly — and, 
I  can  readily  conceive,  must  be  humiliating  to  the  abler  portion  of 
the  service — to  hear  such  silly  pretensions  set  up  by  their  weaker 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  327 

brethren,  though  such  pretensions  be  endorsed  by  you,  the  hon- 
ourable secretary  of  the  navy. 

But  I  will  not  dwell  long  on  a  position  so  untenable.  It  was 
only  assumed,  in  common  with  many  others,  to  increase  the  weight 
of  your  opposition  to  the  measure  at  the  last  session,  by  adding 
professional  prejudice  to  your  other  weapons  of  attack. 

How  infinitely  more  worthy  and  becoming  in  you,  the  head  of 
the  department,  had  you  either  checked  the  first  expression  of 
this  disorganizing  spirit,  or  given  it  a  more  noble  direction.  Why 
did  you  not  point  out  to  these  gentlemen  that  it  would  soon  be 
regarded  as  a  reproach  to  the  navy  if  a  hydrographical  bureau 
were  not  established  in  your  department  ?  But  perhaps  we  should 
overlook  your  omissions  of  this  nature,  when  the  increase  of  the 
forces  to  be  led  against  the  expedition  was  the  paramount  consid- 
eration in  your  mind. 

I  do  not  feel  it  a  part  of  my  present  duty  to  dwell  particularly 
on  the  various  difficulties  which  have  occurred  between  the  naval 
officers,  although  I  think  I  could  give  the  public  some  additional 
light  as  regards  the  part  you  have  had  in  fomenting  those  dissen- 
sions, and  shall  do  so  whenever  such  a  course  may  seem  expedi- 
ent or  necessary. 

In  my  next  I  shall  take  up  that  section  of  your  annual  report 
which  alludes  to  the  expedition. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN 

New-York,  July  17, 183.7. 


V. 
To  the  Honourable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

SIR, 

In  your  annual  report  to  the  president,  under  December  3, 
1836,  we  find,  for  the  first  time,  a  faint  and  shadowy  type  of  the 
assertion  which,  since  that  period,  you  have  so  confidently  put 
forth,  that  the  South  Sea  expedition  was  an  enterprise  having  no 
connexion  with  the  protection  of  our  commerce.  Thus,  speaking 


328  LETTERS   OF    A    CITIZEN. 

of  the  service  generally,  you  remark,  "  that  the  force  wanted  for 
the  protection  of  commerce  exceeds  the  means  of  supply"  Mark 
the  words,  "  the  force  needed  for  the  protection  of  commerce? 
from  which  force  you  exclude  the  frigate  and  other  vessels  belong- 
ing to  the  expedition.  The  plan  of  attack  had  now  been  agreed 
upon,  and  we  find  the  campaign  thus  officially  opened  by  you. 
It  is  true,  as  I  have  abundantly  shown  in  my  second  and  third 
letters,  that  the  memorialists,  committees,  members  of  Congress, 
and  public  press  held  very  different  language.  By  these,  commer- 
cial considerations  had  been  made  the  basis  of  the  undertaking ; 
and  that  their  arguments  to  sustain  it  on  this  ground  were  invul- 
nerable, is  proved  by  the  fact  that  they  have  never  been  answered. 
Hence  the  bold  and  audacious  move  to  separate  the  expedition 
from  all  objects  of  immediate  and  practical  utility,  and  to  exagger- 
ate its  cost.  Thus  weakened,  sanguine  hopes  were  entertained 
of  breaking  it  down,  or,  failing  in  that  object,  of  at  least  greatly 
reducing  its  force  and  magnitude. 

Your  attacks  have  been  bold,  direct,  and  manly.  The  tenacious 
grasp  with  which  you  clung  to  office  prevented  that,  with  the  late 
executive  as  well  as  at  the  present  time.  At  one  time  you  pro- 
fess great  anxiety  to  fit  out  the  expedition  ;  at  another,  your  nat- 
ural, long-cherished,  deep-seated  hostility  breaks  forth,  in  no  very 
choice  or  set  phrase,  against  the  entire  scope  or  plan  of  the  enter- 
prise. Now  you  speak  with  becoming  zeal  in  behalf  of  the  sci- 
entific department,  and  again,  designate  the  members  of  the  corps 
as  oyster  and  clam  catchers.  You  have  done  all  in  your  power 
to  dispirit  and  disgust  them,  by  pertinaciously  refusing  to  put  them 
on  active  duty,  or  to  allow  them  any  compensation  until  the  fourth 
of  the  current  month,  although  Congress  made  a  specific  appro- 
priation for  them  from  the  first  of  January  last.  More  upon  this 
subject  presently. 

We  have  next  a  striking  proof  of  your  far-reaching  and  saga- 
cious forecast,  which  enabled  you  to  perceive,  at  the  very  moment 
the  outfit  was  authorized  by  Congress,  that  it  would  be  impracti- 
cable to  complete  it  "  under  eight  or  nine  months,  without  a  se 
rious  injury  to  other  branches  of  the  naval  service  /"  Fourteen 
months  have  elapsed,  and  the  preparations  are  still  unfinished. 
The  first  of  October  is  the  latest  period  at  which  the  vessels  should 
depart,  and  I  now  tell  you,  before  the  face  of  the  whole  nation, 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  329 

that  such  has  been  the  ruinous  tendency  of  your  clogging  tardi- 
ness of  action,  that  the  squadron,  even  at  that  late  date,  will  be 
compelled  to  proceed  to  sea  incomplete  in  some  of  its  depart- 
ments, but,  it  is  hoped,  "  without  serious  injury  to  other  branches 
of  the  naval  service  /"  Perchance  still  further  delay,  however, 
may,  in  your  opinion,  be  necessary  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
this  collision  of  interests  ! 

Evidently  feeling  the  deep  necessity  of  strengthening  your  po- 
sition and  justifying  your  intended  procrastination,  you  further 
state,  that  "  the  only  insurmountable  difficulty"  in  your  mind  was 
the  shipment  of  the  requisite  number  of  men  "  in  three  or  four 
months  without  interfering  with  arrangements  already  made" 
for  sending  ships  to  other  stations.  How  humiliating  to  the  pride 
of  our  country  is  the  acknowledgment  made  by  you,  its  secretary 
of  the  navy,  before  the  commercial  and  naval  powers  of  the  Old 
World,  that  a  small  squadron,  requiring  but  a  few  hundred  seamen, 
could  not  be  manned  and  sent  out  without  deranging  the  great 
naval  operations  of  the  nation  !  This  country,  whose  private  armed 
ships  during  the  revolution  captured  fifteen  hundred  sail  from  the 
enemy,  which  humbled  the  fierce  corsairs  of  the  Mediterranean, 
and  broke  the  charm  of  British  invincibility  by  sea ;  this  country, 
which  but  yesterday  was  bristling  up  to  fight  one  of  the  first  naval 
powers  of  the  earth,  ay,  would  have  done  it,  and,  if  need  be,  will 
do  it,  is  told  by  you  that  a  sufficient  number  of  sailors  for  an  ex- 
ploring expedition  cannot  be  obtained  without  deranging  your 
plans  and  weakening  the  efficiency  of  your  measures  for  the  pro- 
tection of  our  interests  in  the  Pacific,  West  Indian,  and  Brazilian 
stations !  Surely  no  nation,  however  mighty,  will  hazard  a  war 
with  the  United  States  while  you  have  the  direction  of  her  naval 
resources !  It  may  be  that  the  King  of  the  French  had  his  eye 
upon  you  when  he  concluded  to  pay  the  long-withheld  indemnity 
to  our  citizens,  and  that,  owing  to  the  ingratitude  so  frequently  as- 
cribed to  republics,  you  have  not,  as  yet,  received  your  full  share 
of  credit  for  the  part  you  had  in  that  transaction.  Be  assured, 
however,  posterity  will  do  you  justice,  if,  indeed,  you  do  not  LEARN, 
while  yet  you  may  FEEL,  the  value  set  upon  your  official  actions. 

Not  only  does  it  appear  from  your  official  report  that  you  were 
anxious  to  prepare  the  public  mind  for  the  delays  which  were  to 
ensue,  but  you  laboured  also  to  convince  the  president  that  no 

42 


330  LETTERS    OF    A   CITIZEN. 

agency  in  these  delays  was  chargeable  on  you.  Thus  you  tell 
him,  that  inasmuch  as  "  it  was  his  earnest  wish  that  the  intentions 
of  Congress  in  authorizing  the  measure  should  be  carried  into 
effect  with  the  least  possible  delay"  you  had  not  only  resolved  to 
clothe  Commodore  Jones  with  unusual  powers,  and  to  grant  him 
"  every  facility"  for  the  purpose  of  shipping  crews,  but  that  you 
had  yourself  "  determined  to  make  an  extraordinary  effort  to 
accomplish  that  object"  The  fruits  of  your  extra  labours  have 
been  seen  by  the  whole  nation  in  the  humiliating  spectacle  of 
what,  by  "  extraordinary  efforts,"  you  have  been  able  to  accom- 
plish in  fourteen  months,  with  the  most  ample  means  at  your  dis- 
posal, towards  expediting  the  preparations  for  the  voyage. 

But  your  countrymen  do  not  know  what  the  "  every  facility" 
so  confidently  set  forth  in  your  report  has  been.  I  will  tell  them, 
and  then  leave  them  to  judge  whether  the  negative  or  positive 
quality  predominates.  You  granted  to  Commodore  Jones  the  ex- 
traordinary "facility"  of  shipping  mariners  at  the  regular  stations 
opened  for  the  general  service ;  precisely  what  you  allowed  to 
others  under  special  orders,  while  recruiting  for  the  crews  of  vessels 
destined  for  the  Pacific  and  Brazilian  stations,  and  nothing  more. 
Men  at  this  time  were  commanding  from  $16  to  $18  per  month 
in  the  merchant  service,  and  in  the  navy  from  $10  to  $12  per 
month !  It  has  been  the  policy  of  other  countries  to  assign  sea- 
men sent  on  such  adventures  extra  pay  in  money  or  clothing,  of- 
ten in  both  ;  while  you  have  allowed  neither,  though  requested  to 
do  so.  Congress,  at  the  last  session,  made  a  special  grant  for  the 
increase  of  seamen's  wages,  every  particle  of  which  you  have 
withheld  from  the  sailors  being  shipped  for  the  expedition. 

You  vouchsafed  Commodore  Jones  the  "  facility"  of  detailing 
officers  to  visit  New-London,  New-Bedford,  and  the  other  places 
where  it  was  supposed  crews  might  be  procured ;  but  you  took 
care  to  withhold  from  those  officers  money  for  advances,  without 
which,  it  is  notorious,  men  cannot  be  induced  to  ship,  either  in  the 
merchant  or  naval  service.  I  have  it  from  the  lips  of  an  officer 
who  visited  New-London,  that  some  fifteen  or  twenty  prime 
hands,  who  were  ready  and  anxious  to  engage,  called  on  him  at 
once ;  but  not  finding  it  convenient  to  make  their  own  advances 
and  pay  their  own  passage  to  a  naval  rendezvous,  and  the  officer 
being  unprovided  with  funds  for  this  purpose,  he  did  not,  as  a 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  331 

matter  of  course,  obtain  one  man  there  or  elsewhere.  A  few 
months  ago  it  was  believed  that  a  limited  number  of  men  for  the 
expedition  might  be  had  in  the  district,  ancj,  as  before,  an  officer 
was  detached  to  receive  proposals.  He  made  a  requisition  for 
one  thousand  dollars,  which  was  approved  by  the  commander  of 
the  squadron.  The  prospect  of  successful  recruiting  in  that  quar- 
ter was  even  better  than  had  been  anticipated.  Fourteen  sailors 
waited  on  the  appointed  agent  almost  as  soon  as  he  had  opened 
his  office  in  Alexandria.  They  were  told  to  call  and  sign  arti- 
cles on  the  next  day.  In  the  mean  time  the  officer  repaired  to 
Washington  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  whether  thirty  dollars, 
the  usual  advance,  should  be  charged  to  the  men,  or  whether,  in 
compliance  with  the  special  provision  of  Congress,  that  sum  should 
be  allowed  as  bounty.  Before,  however,  he  had  time  to  make 
this  inquiry  of  the  naval  department,  he  received  from  you  an 
order  forthwith  to  return  the  money  placed  in  his  hands  to  the 
treasury,  as  also  to  tell  the  seamen  they  must  go  down  to  Norfolk 
upon  their  own  hook  !  and  ship  there.  Of  course,  not  one  of  them 
went. 

This  is  but  a  hasty  sketch  of  your  "  extraordinary  efforts"  to 
procure  men ;  they  are  a  fair  sample  of  all  your  other  "  extraor- 
dinary efforts,"  and  were,  of  course,  attended  by  the  same  "  ex- 
traordinary" success  !  When  to  these  are  added  the  enervating 
influence  of  your  ungracious  and  reluctant  action  throughout ;  the 
prevalence  of  the  belief  that  the  feelings  of  the  department  were 
arrayed  against  the  measure ;  the  uncertainty  when,  if  ever,  the 
flotilla  would  sail,  and  the  nonallowance  of  the  slighest  extra  en- 
couragement to  the  crews,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  the  tissue  of 
misrepresentation  which  mysteriously  got  into  circulation  regard- 
ing the  enterprise  should  have  obtained  some  credence.  It  was 
reported,  I  presume  not  to  say  whence  such  reports  emanated, 
that  the  service  would  be  one  of  great  privation  to  the  crews,  and 
that  all  their  wages  would,  of  course,  be  expended  in  supplying 
their  clothing  for  the  cold  and  icy  latitudes  near  the  South  Pole ! 
Uniting  all  these  circumstances  to  the  other  "facilities"  you  have 
afforded,  the  public  mind  will  have  little  difficulty  in  comprehend- 
ing the  full  force  of  your  "  insurmountable  difficulties  in  procu- 
ring men?  even  when  your  most  "  extraordinary  efforts"  had  been 
put  forth  to  effect  that  end.  Seriously,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  assert 


332  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

that,  by  a  judicious  application  of  the  means  within  your  control, 
the  whole  complement  of  every  vessel  might  have  been  shipped 
in  sixty,  or,  at  most,  finely  days,  at  any  period  since  the  passage 
of  the  bill  by  Congress,  on  the  10th  of  May,  1836;  and  that,  too, 
without  interfering  with  the  protection  of  commerce,  or  in  the 
slightest  degree  deranging  the  naval  service  of  the  country.  In 
this  belief  I  have  found  myself  sustained  by  the  opinions  of  those 
much  more  experienced  in  such  matters  than  I  can  claim  to  be  ; 
and  I  shrewdly  suspect  that  you  will  find  it  something  like  an 
"  insurmountable  difficulty"  to  convince  the  people  of  this  country 
that,  with  the  most  ample  means  at  your  command,  nothing  more 
than  you  have  effected  could  be  accomplished. 

In  speaking  of  the  vessels,  you  proceed  to  tell  the  president 
that  "  the  frigate  and  store-ship  which  were  on  the  stocks  when 
this  measure  was  authorized  have  been  finished  and  equipped, 
and  are  now  receiving  their  crews"  What  unaccountable  hallu- 
cination could  have  possessed  your  mind  when  you  wrote  this 
sentence  ?  Did  you,  in  the  first  draught  of  your  report,  put  down 
what  ought  to  have  been  the  condition  of  those  vessels,  and  after- 
ward forget  to  alter  it  ?  How  else  could  you  venture  to  tell  the 
president,  and,  through  him,  Congress  and  the  whole  country,  that 
the  frigate  was  finished  and  equipped,  and  was  receiving  her  men, 
when  the  fact  was,  the  frigate  at  that  time  was  not  finished,  not 
equipped,  nor  was  she  receiving  her  creiv  ;  so  far  from  it,  she  had 
not  a  bulk-head  up  or  a  yarn  over  the  masthead,  and  it  was  not 
until  June,  six  months  after  this  official  statement,  that  she  was 
completed,  and  in  a  condition  to  receive  her  complement  of 
men  ! ! ! !  This  is  another  example  of  your  "  extraordinary  ef- 
forts" in  forwarding  the  outfit  of  the  expedition,  as  well  as  of  the 
accuracy  of  your  official  report. 

The  president  is  further  informed  that  you  had  not  "  yet  at- 
tempted to  organize  the  scientific  corps  for  the  expedition ;"  but 
you  intimate  that  this  duty  may  be  performed  as  soon  "  as  ac- 
commodations can  be  afforded  them  in  the  vessels"  Strange  in- 
congruity this  !  In  the  first  place,  the  vessels  are  "  finished"  and 
"  receiving  their  crews ;"  in  the  next  you  tell  us  that  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  corps  is  delayed  until  the  vessels  are  finished  and 
ready  to  receive  them. 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  333 

I  have  pondered  a  good  deal  over  this  sentence,  and,  for  the  life 
of  me,  am  unable  to  discover  any  necessary  connexion  between 
the  organization  of  a  corps  of  scientific  men*  and  the  completion 
of  the  apartments  intended  for  their  reception  on  shipboard.  I 
had  thought  these  labours  might  progress  simultaneously ;  but  I 
forgot  you  were  then  making  "  extraordinary  efforts"  for  the  ship 
ment  of  seamen,  and,  with  all  your  energies  thus  concentrated 
on  a  single  point,  might  not  be  able  to  attend  to  other  matters  ! 

I  happen  to  know  something  about  the  appointment  of  this 
corps.  In  December  last,  a  distinguished  member  of  Congress, 
while  in  conversation  with  the  president,  remarked  that  no  ap- 
pointments had  been  made  by  you  in  the  civil  department.  The 
president  was  surprised  at  this  intelligence,  reached  out  his  hand, 
and  rang  the  bell.  A  messenger  appeared.  "  Tell  the  secretary 
of  the  navy  I  wish  to  see  him  at  twelve  o'clock."  I  do  not  know 
that  you  obeyed  this  summons,  nor  do  I  pretend  to  say  what  oc- 
curred at  the  interview ;  but  this  I  do  know,  that,  within  three 
days  from  that  time,  the  gentlemen  now  composing  the  scientific 
corps  received  their  commissions.  The  reluctance  with  which 
you  made  appointments  leaves  to  the  late  executive  the  sole  credit, 
so  far  as  you  are  concerned,  of  giving  to  the  expedition  and  the 
country  an  able,  efficient,  scientific  board.  I  make  this  statement 
for  the  benefit  of  posterity ;  that,  in  coming  time,  should  disputes 
arise  as  to  the  honoured  spot  or  state  that  gave  you  birth,  the 
controversy  may  not  be  aggravated  by  any  conflicting  opinions  as 
to  the  degree  of  credit  due  to  you  for  the  share  you  had  in  equip- 
ping and  despatching  the  exploring  squadron  ! 

Do  you  remember  that,  for  some  time  previous  to  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  corps,  you  had  intermitted  all  action  in  reference  to 
the  expedition,  waiting,  as  you  said,  until  Congress  should  make 
further  appropriations ;  though  it  can  be  shown,  by  incontestible 
documentary  evidence,  that  there  was,  at  the  very  time,  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  of  the  past  year's  appropriation  yet 
unexpended  ?  I  almost  forget  what  the  president  told  you  when 
you  first  intimated  to  him  that  you  had  no  funds  with  which  to 
go  on.  He  had  always  a  most  happy  knack  in  stirring  you  up  to 
"  extraordinary  efforts?  and  the  only  misfortune  was,  that  severe 
indisposition  prevented  him,  towards  the  close  of  the  session,  from 


334  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

giving  to  the  undertaking  and  to  you  that  minute  and  watchful  at- 
tention which  both  so  much  required. 


I  must  hurry  on  with  my  subject,  and  bring  this  letter  to  a 
close.  The  contest  before  the  last  Congress  requires  a  word.  I 
must  pass  over  points  upon  which  pages  might  be  written.  I 
cannot  stop  to  examine  your  report  in  its  financial  bearing,  much 
as  it  is  needed,  and  greatly  as  my  inclination  prompts  me  to  do 
so.  I  shall  not  even  attempt  to  describe  the  zeal  with  which  you 
warmed  yourself  while  explaining  to  members  of  the  Senate  and 
the  house  the  enormous  demands  the  expedition  would  make  on 
the  public  treasury.  Your  name  was  frequently  used  as  authority 
for  stating  that  the  nation  was  about  to  squander  millions  upon  this 
extravagant  enterprise,  which  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  protection 
of  commerce,  and  was  only  to  explore  high  latitudes  south ! ! ! ! 
The  frigate,  as  the  whole  country  will  remember,  was  the  special 
object  of  attack.  That  she  was  not  necessary  for  the  high  south- 
ern parallels,  and,  ergo,  not  necessary  for  the  expedition,  was  your 
argument.  Officers  of  the  navy  were  found  to  endorse  your  opin- 
ions. Perhaps  the  endorsement  was  mutual ;  at  least  it  was  so 
stated  on  the  floor  of  Congress.  Everything,  for  a  time,  promised 
you  success,  and  it  was  asserted  that  you  had  never  been  known 
to  enjoy  such  fine  spirits ;  while  the  friends  of  the  measure  at  a 
distance  were  full  of  despondency,  being  aware  that  the  objection 
to  the  frigate  was  not  from  friendly  motives  towards  the  enterprise. 
There  were  those  who  believed,  at  the  time,  that  the  design  was 
to  cut  off  the  frigate,  and  then  have  other  commanders  and  a  new 
organization ;  but,  as  I  do  not  deal  with  motives,  but  with  acts,  I 
shall  let  that  pass. 

In  the  saloons  of  the  library,  in  the  gallery,  at  parties,  and  in 
messes,  the  merits  of  the  contest  were  much  discussed.  Your 
misrepresentations  of  the  purposes  of  the  undertaking  were  fully 
understood  by  its  friends  in  the  Senate  and  the  house,  and  you 
were  pitied  for  the  weakness  of  your  device.  The  members,  who 
had  honestly  doubted  the  propriety  of  employing  a  vessel  of  the 
class  alluded  to,  when  they  looked  into  the  true  objects  of  the  voy- 
age, yielded  their  assent,  and  voted  for  the  measure  ;  so  that,  by 
the  time  the  bill  of  appropriations  came  to  be  read  for  the  last  time, 
you  stood  "  alone  in  your  glory"  every  item  in  the  estimate  for 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  335 

the  present  organization  and  force  being  passed  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing majority. 

The  disingenuousness  of  the  endeavour  to  force  the  friends  of 
the  measure  into  a  false  position  was,  as  I  have  stated,  fully  ap- 
preciated ;  and  it  was  partly  from  compassion,  and  partly  in  conse- 
quence of  a  pledge  you  had  given,  that  no  animadversions  were 
made  upon  it  on  the  floor  of  Congress  !  The  pledge  I  refer  to 
was  published  by  you,  and  over  your  own  name,  on  the  19th  of 
January  last,  in  connexion  with  a  correspondence  you  had  carried 
on  with  Commodore  Jones.  You  there  distinctly  declared,  that 
while  you  were  opposed  to  so  large  a  force  being  sent  on  the  ex- 
pedition, "  yet  you  had  given  all  orders  that  you  considered  neces- 
sary for  fitting  it  out  upon  the  extensive  scale  adopted ;  and 
should  continue  to  do  so  if  Congress  made  appropriations  agree- 
ably to  the  estimates  furnished  for  this  object !  /" 

Here  was  a  deliberate  promise,  a  solemn  pledge,  given  in  your 
official  character,  that  if  Congress  made  provision  for  the  outfit  on 
its  present  plan,  on  that  plan  and  with  the  required  force  should 
it  be  completed.  Congress  took  you  at  your  word  by  making 
the  appropriations  to  the  utmost  farthing ;  and,  before  the  nation, 
I  hold  you  to  the  strict  fulfilment  of  the  promise  you  volunteered. 
You  cannot  shrink  from  it  without  covering  yourself  with  official 
dishonour  !  How  you  can  reconcile  you  course  of  conduct  since 
the  close  of  last  session,  with  this  public  pledge  thus  staring  you 
in  the  face,  is  a  problem  in  the  solution  of  which  your  official 
character  is  deeply  concerned  !  Deceive  not  yourself ;  the  public 
eye  is  upon  you,  and  no  sophistry  can  screen  you  from  that  rapidly- 
gathering  weight  of  your  country's  disapprobation  which,  it  re- 
quires no  horoscope  to  perceive,  is  destined  ere  long  to  fall  upon 
you.  To  avert  the  blow  entirely  is  now  beyond  your  power,  but 
you  may  weaken  its  force  by  immediate  and  faithful  efforts  in 
perfecting  the  outfit  and  expediting  the  departure  of  the  expedition ! 

I  shall  again  recur  to  your  report. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

New-York,  July  21, 1837. 


336  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

VI. 

To  the  Honourable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

SIR, 

The  portion  of  your  report  to  which  I  purpose  calling  your  at- 
tention in  this  letter  reads  as  follows  :  "  From  several  learned  and 
philosophical  societies,  as  well  as  from  distinguished  individuals, 
I  have  received  the  most  ample  and  satisfactory  communications, 
embracing  all  the  various  subjects  which  it  would  be  necessary 
to  give  in  charge  to  the  gentlemen  who  are  to  conduct  the  scien- 
tific researches  which  form  the  most  important  objects  of  the  ex- 
pedition." 

With  a  superficial  observer,  this  sentence  is  calculated  to  gain 
you  credit,  because  it  conveys  something  like  an  expression  of 
liberality.  I  regret  that  I  cannot  award  to  you  the  meed  of  praise 
due  to  such  a  feeling.  I  cannot  persuade  myself  that  you  de- 
serve it.  Connected  with  this  subject,  I  do  not  consider  that  your 
prejudices  will  permit  the  indulgence  of  liberal  sentiments  ;  yet 
I  have  no  idea  that  the  sentence  quoted  came  from  your  pen  by 
accident.  It  is  full  of  meaning,  if  not  of  design.  Like  your  state- 
ment that  to  approach  as  near  as  possible  to  the  South  Pole  was 
the  object  of  the  enterprise,  it  is,  to  say  the  least,  an  evasion  of 
the  true  purposes  designed  to  be  accomplished.  The  induce- 
ment to  make  such  a  statement  will  become  manifest  if  it  be  rec- 
ollected that  a  portion  of  the  public  men  in  this  country  entertain 
the  opinion  that  the  government  of  the  United  States  has  no 
power  under  the  Constitution  to  send  out  an  expedition  solely  for 
scientific  purposes.  Stripped  of  its  commercial  character,  separ- 
ated from  all  objects  of  immediate  and  palpable  utility,  thrown  for 
support  upon  its  abstract  merits  as  a  medium  of  scientific  re- 
search, you  knew  full  well  the  quarter  whence  opposition  to  the 
undertaking  might  be  anticipated,  and  from  what  quarter  it  would 
have  come  had  you  not  overrated  the  weight  of  your  official  influ- 
ence. Here,  then,  we  have  a  key  to  the  otherwise  inexplicable 
mystery,  that  expressions  of  such  seeming  liberality  should  owe 
paternity  to  you. 

No  man  can  appreciate  more  fully  than  I  do  the  high  objects 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN,  337 

committed  to  the  hands  of  the  gentlemen  composing  the  scientific 
corps.  Not  only  may  they  enlarge  the  boundaries  of  science  and 
add  lustre  to  our  national  character,  but,  by  examining  and  devel- 
oping the  resources  and  capacities  of  the  countries  and  islands  to 
be  visited,  they  may  even  enrich  the  freight  of  commerce  itself. 
Yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  I  have  never  conceived  scientific  re- 
search to  be  the  main  object  of  the  expedition  any  more  than  that 
the  attainment  of  high  latitudes  south  was  its  principal  purpose 
and  design. 

"  Fourteen  gentlemen,"  you  inform  us,  "  have  been  appointed 
to  this  corps,  eminent  for  their  proficiency  in  those  sciences  which 
are  connected  with  natural  history,  or  eminent  in  the  arts  con- 
nected with  the  subjects  of  natural  history.  No  one  has  as  yet 
been  assigned  to  the  departments  of  astronomy,  geography,  and 
hydrography.  With  this  exception  the  corps  is  nearly  complete." 

If  the  great  design  of  the  expedition  be  to  go  as  near  as  practi- 
cable to  the  South  Pole,  for  what  purpose  do  you  send  a  botanist 
to  that  region  where  no  vegetation  exists  ?  Why  do  you  incur  the 
expense  of  sending  a  philologist  to  attend  to  the  interesting  depart- 
ment of  language  where  there  are  no  inhabitants  ?  What  object 
is  proposed  by  sending  an  entomologist  in  those  high  latitudes, 
when  a  single  bug  may  not  be  found  within  the  Antarctic  circle  ? 
And  wherefore  should  you  despatch  a  portrait-painter  to  the  Polar 
Seas,  unless,  indeed,  you  wish  him  to  exercise  his  art  in  sketch- 
ing the  likenesses  of  seals  and  sea-elephants  ?  Thus,  we  perceive, 
the  two  main  objects  of  the  expedition,  as  set  forth  by  you,  are 
absurdly  in  contradiction  of  each  other. 

I  feel,  however,  that  it  is  a  small  business  to  dwell  on  your  in- 
congruities, and  have  alluded  to  these  matters  only  for  the  sake 
of  putting  you  right,  and  of  entering  my  protest  against  this  fur- 
ther official  misstatement  of  the  leading  purposes  of  the  enterprise, 
Placed  on  its  true  basis,  it  is  defensible  on  the  broad  principle  of 
constitutional  power  as  well  as  of  national  policy.  To  provide 
efficient  protection  for  our  commerce,  in  every  region  with  which 
we  have  commercial  intercourse,  and  to  extend  it  wherever  it  is 
susceptible  of  advantageous  increase,  is  the  bounden  and  acknowl- 
edged duty  of  government.  For  these  noble  and  useful  ends  was 
the  undertaking  originated  and  authorized.  Every  memorial 
transmitted  to  Congress,  every  speech  and  report  made  by  its 
P 


338  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

members,  bears  directly  and  unequivocally  upon  these  points,  and 
proves  that,  to  them,  all  others  were  subsidiary.  Such,  then,  being 
the  paramount  objects  in  view,  it  was  decided  that  the  opportuni- 
ties which  would  be  afforded  by  the  contemplated  explorations 
and  surveys  should  not  be  lost  to  the  cause  of  science  ;  and  hence, 
by  the  direction  of  the  executive,  with  the  sanction  of  Congress, 
provision  was  made  for  an  able  scientific  corps  ;  not,  I  repeat,  as 
a  primary,  but  as  a  collateral  department,  which  neither  interest, 
the  spirit  of  the  age,  nor  a  regard  for  our  station  among  the  en- 
lightened of  all  nations  would  permit  us  to  overlook  in  the  gen- 
eral organization. 

But,  sir,  for  the  still  further  illustration  of  your  "  extraordinary 
efforts"  and  desire  "  to  prevent  delay"  I  will  suppose  you  to  have 
been  sincere  in  stating  that  the  "  scientific  researches  of  these 
gentlemen  form  the  leading  objects  of  the  expedition."  Now  I 
think  it  a  fair  supposition  that  the  most  important  objects  of  any 
plan  should  receive  the  first  attention,  and,  at  all  events,  that  they 
ought  not  to  be  the  last  considered.  What  has  been  the  fact  as 
regards  you  ? 

Let  us  see.  Three  months,  wanting  two  days,  after  the  bill 
had  passed,  you  sent  an  agent  to  Europe,  as  you  inform  us  in 
your  communication  to  Congress  of  the  6th  February,  for  the 
purpose  of  preventing  "  any  delay  that  might  arise  from  the  want 
of  mathematical,  astronomical,  and  philosophical  instruments 
books,  maps,  charts,"  &c.  I  can  hardly  forbear  a  smile  when  I 
read  your  remark  about  preventing  delay !  Why  were  not  the 
"fourteen  gentlemen  eminent  for  their  scientific  attainments" 
consulted  before  the  agent  departed  ?  Or,  if  they  were  at  that 
time  unselected,  it  only  shows  that  you  had  suffered  three  months 
to  elapse  without  having  attended  to  "  the  most  important  objects 
of  the  expedition  /" 

Your  agent  was  furnished  with  the  most  "  ample  means,"  and 
to  his  discretion  and  knowledge  was  confided  the  duty  of  pro- 
curing all  that  was  deemed  necessary,  as  regarded  books  and  in- 
struments, for  many  branches  of  science  of  which  he  had  not  the 
slightest  knowledge.  This  gentleman,  you  tell  us,  returned  on  the 
23d  of  January,  "  having  performed  the  duty  assigned  to  him  in 
the  most  successful  manner !  /"  The  agent,  it  would  seem,  en- 
tertained the  same  opinion  you  have  expressed  in  this  endorse- 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  339 

ment.  With  reference  to  the  instruments  brought  over,  in  his 
report,  which  forms  a  supplement  to  your  own,  he  discourses  thus  : 
"  I  believe  they  comprise  all  that  can  in  any  way  be  useful  for 
scientific  purposes  on  any  expedition,  and  are  all  of  them  of  the 
very  best  construction"  These  assertions,  which  Humboldt  would 
not  have  ventured,  are  further  confirmed  in  the  next  sentence, 
where  it  is  said,  "  I  trust  they  will  be  found  fully  adequate  to  the 
wants  of  the  expedition" 

Among  these  much-extolled  instruments  "  not  to  be  procured 
in  the  United  States,"  I  find  mentioned  two  astronomical  clocks, 
one  journeyman's  clock,  two  astronomical  telescopes,  and  forty- 
one  chronometers.  I  have  made  inquiry  if  any  American  maker 
of  astronomical  clocks  had  been  called  on  by  you  to  give  a  proof 
of  his  skill,  but  have  been  unable  to  learn  that  any  such  had,  or 
has  been,  encouraged  to  furnish  a  specimen  article ;  although  it 
cannot  be  controverted  that  astronomical  clocks,  unsurpassed  in 
accuracy,  and  which  their  manufacturers  are  willing  to  warrant 
equal  to  any  which  can  be  imported  from  foreign  workshops, 
have  for  several  years  been  made  in  this  country.  I  am  equally 
at  a  loss  to  know  for  what  reason  the  admirable  reflecting  tele- 
scopes of  Halcomb  were  wholly  overlooked  in  your  attention  to 
the  outfit  of  that  department  which  embraced  the  "  principal  ob- 
ject" of  the  expedition.  I  have  read  detailed  accounts  of  the  su- 
perior excellence  of  these  telescopes  from  the  pens  of  those  in 
whose  opinions  on  such  subjects  I  place  the  highest  confidence, 
attesting  their  accuracy,  portability,  and  the  ease  with  which  they 
may  be  managed  It  is  the  more  astonishing  that  these  matters 
should  have  been  neglected  by  you,  inasmuch  as  you  have  so 
long  been  a  strenuous  advocate  for  the  patronage  of  domestic 
skill  and  industry  !  In  like  manner,  I  cannot  help  thinking  that 
at  least  one  or  two  of  those  highly-finished  box  chronometers 
made  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  which  have  been  lauded  and 
honoured  with  premiums  by  men  who  have  their  eyes  open,  and 
who  try  to  keep  up  with  the  time  of  day,  should  have  been  or- 
dered. It  would  have  been  a  trial  of  skill  to  which  our  artists 
would  have  brought  a  full  share  of  national  pride,  and  the  expe- 
dition being  a  national  enterprise,  they  ought  to  have  been  grati- 
fied. It  was  due  to  them,  and  equally  due  to  the  country. 

If,  as  you  assert,  the  science  connected  with  natural  history 


340  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

(by  which  I  suppose  you  to  mean  the  several  sciences  included 
under  the  general  term  of  natural  history)  constitutes  the  main  ob- 
jects of  the  expedition,  how  did  it  occur  that  your  envoy  failed  to 
procure  any  apparatus  for  research  in  this  branch,  if  we  except  a 
case  of  drawing  instruments  with  Cameras  Lucidas  1  To  seven, 
if  not  more,  of  the  fourteen  gentlemen  forming  the  scientific 
board,  microscopes  of  the  most  approved  construction,  such  as 
are  made  only  in  Europe,  were,  I  should  imagine,  indispensable. 
But,  finding  no  such  articles  on  the  list,  I  suppose  it  was  con- 
sidered that  everything  earthly,  aerial,  or  aquatic  too  small  to  be 
seen  with  the  naked  eye  was  too  insignificant  for  the  notice  of 
savans  on '"any  expedition!" 

Again  :  had  the  individual  deputed,  who  performed  his  mission 
in  "  the  most  successful  manner,"  looked  into  some  of  the  books 
he  brought  with  him,  he  might  have  learned  that,  in  making 
magnetic  experiments,  modern  observers  think  that  a  rarefied  me- 
dium is  highly  important,  and  that  nothing  is  more  prejudicial  to 
accuracy  in  their  results  than  the  variable  influence  of  the  atmo- 
sphere. This  theory  has  been  amply  explained  by  philosophers 
in  England ;  and  long  series  of  experiments,  testing  and  proving 
its  correctness,  have  been  made  in  the  United  States.  The  pro- 
curement of  astronomical  apparatus,  however,  may  have  kept  the 
attention  of  your  agent  so  constantly  fixed  upon  the  heavens,  that 
he  unconsciously  omitted  to  notice  these  trifles  connected  with 
earth ! 

Is  it  to  be  presumed  that  you  consider  the  meteorological  de- 
partment well  supplied  with  instruments  without  some  apparatus 
for  investigating  the  state  of  atmospheric  electricity  ?  Or,  as  such 
apparatus  is  not  named  in  the  list  before  referred  to,  are  we  to 
conclude  that  electricity  does  not  form  a  subject  of  attention  in 
"any  expedition"  fitted  out  under  your  direction,  even  when  sci- 
entific pursuits  are  its  "leading  objects?" 

The  agent  very  properly  returns  his  acknowledgments  to  the 
savans  abroad  whom  he  consulted  and  who  afforded  him  impor- 
tant assistance. 

The  individuals  enumerated,  many  of  them  high  in  rank,  are 
certainly  eminent  in  hydrography,  astronomy,  natural  philosophy, 
and  as  makers  of  philosophical  instruments.  This  is  all  very  well, 
so  far  as  it  goes ;  but  why  was  not  some  r/ortion  of  the  three 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  341 

months  which  intervened  between  the  passage  of  the  bill  and  de- 
parture of  the  agent  occupied  in  consulting  the  naturalists  of  this 
country  ?  Had  such  a  course  been  pursued,  the  labours  of  your 
envoy  might  have  been  performed  much  more  usefully,  as  well  as 
more  creditably  for  the  department  and  the  nation.  But,  as  this 
was  not  done,  he  might  have  advised  with  some  of  the  most  cele- 
brated naturalists  of  Great  Britain,  France,  and  Germany,  partic- 
ularly with  those  who  had  accompanied  former  expeditions  into 
the  very  seas  our  squadron  is  intended  to  explore.  Had  this  plan 
been  followed,  think  you  they  would  have  agreed  with  him  in  his 
statement,  even  with  the  high  authority  of  your  own  official  en- 
dorsement upon  its  back,  that  the  books  and  instruments,  as  ex- 
hibited per  list,  comprised  all  that  would  in  any  way  be  useful 
in  the  different  divisions  of  science  ? 

I  am  not  a  little  puzzled  with  this  heterogeneous  melange  of  sci- 
entific works  which  have  been  brought  hither.  So  far  as  respects 
the  few  which  relate  to  natural  history,  the  recent  French  voyages 
excepted,  I  scarcely  know  how  an  equal  number  of  more  useless 
volumes  could  have  been  selected.  I  should  be  glad  to  see  you 
or  the  agent  point  out  more  than  ten  works,  throwing  aside  the 
voyages,  that  any  competent  naturalist  would  have  ordered.  I 
can  only  name  seven  :  Richardson's  Fauna,  Bennister's  Entomol- 
ogy, Cuvier's  Fishes.  Landon's  Encyclopedia  of  Plants,  Genera 
of  Recent  and  Fossil  Shells,  Yarrel's  British  Fishes,  and  Turner's 
Fuci,  Magazines  of  Natural  History,  like  the  Geological  and 
Linnaean  Transactions,  are  not  needed  ;  though  containing  many 
important  papers,  the  proper  place  for  such  ponderous  tomes  is  the 
shelves  of  a  library.  The  naturalists  will  require  working  books, 
manuals ,  and  models ;  and  these,  sir,  have  not  been  provided. 

The  list  of  voyages,  I  am  happy  to  find,  is  far  more  complete, 
although  three  which  may  be  termed  scientific  par  excellence  are 
not  included  in  it :  viz.,  Pallas,  Saussure,  and  the  complete  works 
of  Humboldt.  In  a  word,  the  catalogue  is  in  itself  sufficient  evi- 
dence that  no  naturalist  had  any  share  in  its  adoption.  Indeed,  I 
am  only  in  doubt  whether  the  assortment  was  made  by  the  agent, 
or  whether  he  merely  gave  a  carte  blanche  to  a  bookseller,  and  re- 
quested him  to  furnish  as  many  cubic  feet  of  works  on  natural 
history  as  he  thought  might  be  necessary  for  "  any  scientific  ex- 
pedition." 


342  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

To  be  ignorant  of  natural  history  is  certainly  no  discredit  to  the 
gentleman  you  commissioned,  and  I  have  no  wish  to  speak  of  his 
labours  with  disparagement ;  I  merely  regret  that  he  should  so 
confidently  have  volunteered  an  opinion  in  his  official  report,  that 
he  had  selected  all  the  books  and  instruments  which  "  could  be  in 
any  way  useful  for  scientific  purposes  on  any  expedition ;"  and 
that  you,  in  the  face  of  the  science  of  the  whole  country,  should 
have  so  complacently  signified  your  concurrence  in  the  statement. 
Your  own  attainments  in  botany,  before  botany  became  a  science, 
should  have  prompted  the  reflection,  that  the  field  of  human  sci- 
ence is  too  vast  to  justify  even  one  member  of  the  corps  in  judg- 
ing of  the  wants  of  others  in  distinct  departments.  The  truth  of 
this  position  is  illustrated  by  your  present  defective  preparations 
for  scientific  researches.  After  obstinately  refusing  to  assemble 
the  scientific  corps,  and  assign  to  each  member  his  respective 
duty  since  December  last,  though  frequently  urged  to  do  so,  you 
now  find  the  "  leading  objects"  of  the  enterprise  almost  entirely 
unprovided  for. 

On  the  fourth  of  this  month  you  put  the  corps  on  duty,  and 
gave  them  the  means  to  prepare  for  the  voyage.  They  are  now, 
as  I  learn,  actively  employed  ;  and,  by  ransacking  public  and  pri- 
vate libraries,  may,  it  is  hoped,  remedy  the  evils  occasioned  by 
your  imperfect  and  tardy  arrangements.  Thus  you  find,  sir,  that 
after  an  interval  of  fifteen  months,  and  subsequent  to  your  official 
announcement  that  all  the  tools  of  the  naturalists  were  provided, 
books  have  still  to  be  imported,  and  orders  now  to  be  given  for 
the  construction  of  instruments  /  /  /  If  this  be  good  faith  in  the 
discharge  of  a  high  trust  committed  to  your  hands,  then  I  should 
be  glad  to  know  what  may  be  deemed  a  dereliction  of  duty. 

In  the  sentence  already  quoted,  you  inform  us,  "  no  one  has  yet 
been  assigned  to  the  department  of  astronomy,  geography,  and 
hydrography."  I  have  understood  the  selection  of  a  competent 
person  for  this  station  has  given  you  much  solicitude,  and  that  you 
have  not  even  yet  been  successful  in  finding  one  whom  you  could 
approve.  I  am  not  sorry  that  in  this  matter  you  have  been  dis- 
appointed, because  I  unfeigriedly  believe  that  the  appointment  of 
an  astronomer  to  the  expedition  would  be  an  act  of  injustice  to 
the  naval  officers  employed,  who,  from  their  attainments  and  pro- 
fession, might  be  relied  on  for  the  hydrographical  labours  to  be 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  343 

performed.  In  a  communication  bearing  your  name,  which  ap- 
peared in  the  "Washington  Globe"  of  the  18th  January  last,  you 
hold  the  following  language  : 

"  From  the  moment  this  expedition  was  authorized  by  Congress, 
I  considered  that,  as  its  dangers,  fatigues,  and  hardships  were  to 
be  borne  by  the  officers  of  the  navy,  they  ought  to  participate 
largely  in  its  advantages  and  honours ;  and  that,  in  all  cases  in 
which,  from  their  literature  and  science,  they  were  competent  to 
the  task  of  promoting  the  great  objects  of  the  expedition,  they 
were  to  be  preferred  to  citizens  equally  competent,  but  not  sub- 
ject to  like  responsibilities." 

Although  I  deemed  the  language  here  used  was  put  forth 
rather  to  foment  jealousies  between  the  officers  and  the  natural- 
ists, or  other  citizens  to  be  employed,  than  as  an  exposition  of  a 
rule  by  which,  from  a  high  sense  of  duty,  you  felt  constrained  to 
act ;  and  while  I  cannot  but  repudiate  the  invidious  distinctions, 
untrue  in  fact,  which  you  have  drawn  between  the  labours  that 
the  members  of  the  expedition,  naval  and  civil,  will  respectively 
be  required  to  perform,  as  well  as  the  supposition  that  the  hon- 
ours which  the  one  class  might  acquire  could,  with  liberal  minds, 
disparage  the  just  pretensions  of  the  other ;  yet,  in  this  case,  I 
think  the  navy  would  have  some  ground  for  complaint  should  the 
overshadowing  appointment  of  an  astronomer  be  made,  unless 
practical  results  can  be  expected  from  his  services.  On  this 
point  I  have  doubts,  and  I  state  them  for  your  consideration  with- 
out any  unbecoming  confidence  in  my  own  opinion. 

I  should,  however,  be  gratified  to  see  you  point  out  what  astro- 
nomical calculations  can  possibly  be  performed  which  will  not 
fall  within  the  province  of  the  nautical  department,  and  which 
practical  navigators  are  not  most  likely  to  make  with  accuracy. 
Have  you  reflected  upon  the  means  indispensable  to  the  success 
of  purely  astronomical  inquiry  ?  Are  you  prepared  to  ask  of  Con- 
gress the  funds  for  erecting  an  elevated  stationary  observatory  for 
the  permanent  adjustment  of  costly  and  complicated  instruments, 
without  which  an  astronomer  can  do  little  or  nothing  ?  Have  you 
taken  into  consideration  the  time  which  must  be  uninterruptedly 
devoted  at  one  place  to  comparative  observations  of  the  celestial 
bodies  as  they  move  in  the  hemisphere  ?  Or  do  you  believe  these 
observations  can  be  prosecuted  on  shipboard  underanged  by  the 


344  LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN. 

unsteady  oscillating  motion  of  the  vessel?  If  you  have  not 
thought  of  these  things,  ay,  and  provided  for  them  also,  the  ap- 
pointment of  an  astronomer  really  appears  to  me  little  less  than 
ridiculous,  and  will  certainly  expose  you  to  the  sneering  charge 
of  having  made  a  pompous  preparation  in  vain,  and  for  an  object 
impossible  to  be  accomplished. 

Indeed,  there  would  be  something  of  vain  assumption  and  dan- 
gerous temerity  in  making  such  an  appointment,  even  if  the  as- 
tronomer were  to  be  left  for  several  years  upon  a  sequestered 
island  or  inland  mountain  to  pursue  his  studies,,  with  the  best  ap- 
paratus the  world  could  afford,  and  corresponding  experience  and 
learning  ;  for  it  cannot  be  forgotten  that  the  most  eminent  living 
astronomer,  surrounded  by  every  facility  that  a  nation  uncalcula- 
tingly  munificent  in  the  cause  of  science  could  supply,  has  been 
devoting  four  or  five  years  to  the  stars  of  the  southern  hemi- 
sphere, and  has  not  yet  made  known  any  results  to  serve  as  a 
guide  to  a  competitor  in  the  same  arduous  field.  There  is  not  a 
constellation,  nor  is  there  a  single  star,  which  could  be  seen  by 
this  expedition  in  the  highest  southern  latitudes  at  which  it  might 
arrive,  that  has  not  been  already  seen  by  Sir  John  Herschel  at 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  cost  to  the  British  government  of 
his  astronomical  researches  alone  will  not  be  less  than  half  a 
million  of  dollars. 

Sir,  nothing  can  be  done  in  this  voyage  of  exploration  towards 
mapping  the  heavens.  Neither  the  means  allowed  nor  the  na- 
ture of  the  enterprise  admit  of  such  results,  and  the  addition  of 
an  astronomer  to  the  scientific  corps  will,  in  my  opinion,  be  found, 
in  practice,  worse  than  useless. 

Tne  department  of  physical  science,  or  natural  and  experimental 
philosophy,  is  already  filled.  The  naval  officers  of  the  squadron 
are  qualified  to  perform  the  hydrographical  labours  which  appro- 
priately belong  to  their  profession.  If  these  are  not  to  be  a  por- 
tion of  their  duties,  then  what  did  you  mean  by  alluding  to  the 
"  labours,  hardships,  &c.  ?"  If  they  are  to  be  so  considered, 
should  not  those  who  render  the  service  receive  the  credit  ?  But, 
sir,  I  will  go  still  farther,  and  say  that  the  hydrographical  opera- 
tions can  be  conducted  only  by  the  naval  officers.  This  will  be- 
come apparent  when  you  reflect  that  the  vessels,  while  surveying 
a  group  of  islands,  will  frequently  be  separated  from  each  other, 


LETTERS  OF  A  FRIEND  TO  THE  NAVY.         345 

and  that  the  positions  of  different  members  of  the  cluster  must 
be  defined  by  the  officers  of  the  respective  vessels.  These  ob- 
servations, when  reported  to  the  commander  on  board  the  frigate 
(which  will  be  the  depot  of  all  reports,  naval  or  civil),  can,  by  the 
aid  of  skilful  draughtsmen,  be  reduced  to  regular  and  consecu- 
tive charts ;  and  this  will  be  the  continual  process  throughout  the 
duration  of  the  voyage. 

I  must  now  take  my  leave  of  you  for  the  present,  and,  with  the 
addition  of  one  more  letter,  may  probably  close  altogether. 
Though,  as  I  promised  in  the  beginning,  I  have  written  you 
freely  in  these  letters,  you  have  no  just  cause  of  complaint.  If, 
in  the  exposition  I  have  given  of  some  of  your  official  acts,  there 
has  been  some  occasional  appearance  of  severity,  you  know  full 
well  that  they  were,  in  comparison,  but  as  the  dewdrops  of  mercy 
to  what  I  might  have  said  had  I  gone  inta  an  examination  of  your 
doings  throughout  the  entire  history  of  the  naval  equipment  of  the 
squadron,  as  well  as  in  reference  to  other  points  passed  by  with 
out  remark  or  allusion.  For  the  opinions  advanced  and  facts 
stated  I  am  alone  and  singly  responsible ;  and  if  they  be  contro- 
verted, I  hold  myself  at  all  times  prepared  to  give  my  reasons  for 
the  former  and  my  proofs  of  the  latter. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

New-York,  July  28,  1837. 


DEFENCE  OF  THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  NAVY. 

We  give  place,  and  a  prominent  one,  most  cheerfully  to  the  following  defence  of  the 
secretary  of  the  navy  against  the  censures  of  our  correspondent  "  Citizen."  "  A  Friend 
to  the  Navy,"  maintaining  the  anonymous  himself,  must,  however,  allow  the  same  priv- 
ilege to  his  interlocutor,  and  will  excuse  us  for  erasing  a  name  which  he  uses  apparently 
with  invidious  purpose. — Editor  of  the  New-  York  Times. 

I. 

As  statements  calculated  to  mislead  the  public  mind  upon  the 
subject  of  the  South  Sea  exploring  expedition  are  published  in 
the  Times  under  the  signature  of  a  "  Citizen,"  you  will  no  doubt 
cheerfully  afford  an  opportunity,  through  the  same  medium,  of 


346  LETTERS    OP   A    FRIEND   TO   THE    NAVY. 

correcting  those  statements  by  a  narrative  of  facts  not  generally 
known,  and  which  must  be  understood  before  any  just  opinion 
can  be  formed  of  the  charges  exhibited  by  this  citizen  against  the 
secretary  of  the  navy. 

In  consequence  of  a  report  of  Lieutenant  Tattnall,  on  his  return 
from  a  cruise  to  the  coast  of  Mexico  in  the  Pioneer,  one  of  the 
barks  which  had  been  constructed  for  the  South  Sea  surveying 
and  exploring  expedition,  that  she  was  unfit  for  the  service  ;  and 
from  reports  from  various  quarters  that  the  schooner  Pilot,  built 
for  the  same  expedition,  was  a  dull  sailer,  as  well  as  an  unsafe 
vessel,  Commodore  Jones  was  instructed  to  make  an  experimental 
cruise  with  the  Pioneer  and  Pilot,  together  with  the  bark  Con- 
sort, in  order  to  ascertain  how  far  those  vessels  might  be  consid- 
ered as  safe  and  proper  for  this  expedition.  After  an  absence  of 
eight  days  Commodore  Jones  returned  and  reported  favourably 
of  the  vessels,  but  recommended  that  they  should  be  taken  into 
drydock  and  examined  ;  in  consequence  of  which,  Commodores 
Chauncey,  Morris,  Warrington,  Patterson,  and  Wadsworth  were 
appointed  commissioners  to  examine  into  the  condition  of  those 
vessels,  and  further  to  inquire  whether  the  exploring  squadron 
could  not  be  reduced  in  number  of  vessels  and  men  with  advan- 
tage to  the  country,  and  without  prejudice  to  the  great  objects  of 
the  expedition. 

This  measure  has  excited  the  rage  of  this  "  Citizen,"  who,  in 
your  paper  of  the  29th  of  June,  and  of  subsequent  dates,  comes 
out  in  a  virulent  attack  upon  the  professional  character  and  con- 
duct of  the  secretary  of  the  navy,  accusing  him  of  a  total  neglect 
of  duty  in  promoting  the  expedition,  and  of  being  governed  by 
motives  of  hostility  to  the  measure.  He  further  accuses  him  of 
a  wish  to  defeat  the  enterprise  by  reducing  the  squadron  to  a 
smaller  compass,  and  of  deceiving  the  commissioners  as  to  the 
great  objects  of  the  expedition. 

This  angry  "  Citizen"  is,  no  doubt,  Mr. ,  who  has  suc- 
ceeded in  producing  an  impression  through  the  country  that  this 
is  his  expedition  ;  an  impression  much  strengthened  by  the  publi- 
cation, in  October  last,  of  his  address,  delivered  on  the  3d  of  April 
of  the  last  year  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives  be- 
fore members  of  the  two  houses  of  Congress  and  others,  together 
with  letters  addressed  to  him  on  the  subject  of  this  expedition,  in 


N 

LETTERS    OF   A   FRIEND   TO    THE    NAVY.  347 

which  he  is  exceedingly  magnified,  especially  in  one  from  Captain 
T.  Ap  C.  Jones,  since  appointed  commander  of  the  squadron, 
who  considers  him  the  originator  of  the  voyage ;  and  to  whom, 
with  reference  to  this  expedition,  he  addresses  this  language: 
"  Who  can  bring  so  much  valuable  knowledge,  derived  from  va- 
rious sources,  some  of  which  you  alone  have  been  permitted  to 
draw  from  as  you  could  1  I  mean  not  to  flatter  when  I  say,  not 
another  who  is  a  citizen  of  the  United  States."  So  that  Commo- 
dore Jones  looks  up  to  Mr. as  possessing  so  much  valuable 

knowledge  upon  the  subject  of  the  exploring  expedition,  that  he 
has  no  equal  among  the  citizens  of  the  United  States.  How  far 
this  -superior  knowledge  is  to  influence  Commodore  Jones  in  di- 
recting the  movements  of  the  exploring  squadron  remains  to  be 
seen. 

Mr. ,  in  his  address,  page  seventy-four,  says,  "  the  amount 

of  this  power  is  a  question  upon  which  there  can  be  but^little  dif- 
ference of  opinion  among  those  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
subject;  the  best  informed  are  unanimous  in  their  opinion  that 
there  should  be  a  well-appointed  frigate  and  five  other  vessels  ; 
twice  that  number  would  find  enough,  and  more  than  they  could 
do." 

Here  is  the  origin  of  the  plan  of  six  ships  for  this  expedition, 
and  one  of  them  a  frigate.  Such  a  force  as  never  yet  went  upon 
such  an  expedition. 

Such  was  the  force  required  by  Mr. ;  such  is  the  force 

Commodore  Jones  now  requires,  and  without  which  he  considers 
the  expedition  cannot  be  complete  or  effective.  But  what  are  the 
words  of  the  act  authorizing  the  expedition  ? 

"  That  the  President  of  the  United  States  be,  and  he  hereby  is, 
authorized  to  send  out  a  surveying  and  exploring  expedition  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean  and  the  South  Seas,  and  for  that  purpose  to  employ 
a  sloop-of-war,  and  to  purchase  or  provide  such  other  smaller 
vessels  as  may  be  necessary  and  proper  to  render  the  expedition 
efficient  and  useful,"  &c. 

It  was  to  the  representations  of  Commodore  Jones  that  less 
force  than  one  frigate  of  the  second  class,  two  barks,  a  store-ship, 
and  a  schooner,  would  not  answer  the  purposes  of  the  expedition, 
that  President  Jackson  consented  to  the  employment  of  so  large  a 
force.  It  is  idle  to  pretend  that  the  plan  of  fiye  vessels,  originated 


348  LETTERS    OF   A   FRIEND    TO    THE    NAVY. 

with  him.  He,  in  fact,  wanted  no  greater  force  than  would  meet 
the  just  views  of  Congress  and  the  expectations  of  the  public. 

The  secretary  of  the  navy,  in  his  annual  report  of  the  third  of 
December  last,  makes  the  following  statement  to  the  president : 

"  When,  at  the  commencement  of  the  last  and  preceding  ses- 
sions of  Congress,  it  was  recommended  that  a  considerable  addi- 
tion should  be  made  to  the  number  of  ships  in  commission  to 
meet  the  exigences  of  the  rapidly-increasing  commerce  of  our 
country,  it  was  perceived  that,  should  the  measure  be  adopted,  as 
it  has  been,  by  the  liberal  appropriations  of  Congress,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  adopt,  at  the  same  time,  measures  for  increasing  the 
number  of  our  seamen.  The  most  obvious  means  of  accomplish- 
ing this  object  was  the  one  recommended,  of  enlisting  into  the 
service  of  our  navy  boys  over  the  age  of  thirteen  and  under  the 
age  of  eighteen,  until  they  shall  arrive  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years.  A  bill  for  this  purpose  has  been  before  the  Senate  for 
the  two  last  sessions,  which,  it  is  confidently  hoped,  will  become 
a  law  during  the  approaching  session  of  Congress.  In  the  mean 
time,  as  a  larger  number  of  seamen  is  required  for  the  merchant 
service  than  usual,  and  as  there  is  at  present  actually  in  the  naval 
service  of  the  United  States  one  fifth  more  seamen  than  were  em- 
ployed three  years  ago,  and  a  greater  number  than  has  been  em- 
ployed at  any  time  within  the  last  fifteen  years,  some  difficulty 
must  necessarily  exist  in  recruiting  seamen  required  for  immedi- 
ate service. 

"  The  terms  of  service  of  the  seamen  on  the  Pacific  and  Bra- 
zilian stations  are  about  to  expire.  Those  on  the  Pacific  station 
have  been  ordered  home,  but  will  not  probably  arrive  before  the 
middle  of  January  next.  In  the  mean  time  the  North  Carolina  is 
ordered  to  that  station,  requiring  immediately  a  large  number  of 
seamen,  and  Captain  John  B.  Nicholson  has  been  selected  to  sail 
in  the  raze-  Independence,  to  relieve  the  commander  on  the  coast 
of  Brazil,  who,  when  relieved,  will  return  with  the  seamen  belong- 
ing to  his  station.  The  Independence  will  require  a  large  num- 
ber of  seamen  to  complete  her  crew.  Besides,  it  is  important 
that  each  of  these  ships  should  be  attended  by  one  or  two  smaller 
vessels ;  but  this  is  impracticable  in  the  present  state  of  the  ser- 
vice. 

"  It  will  easily  be  perceived,  therefore,  that  the  force  wanted  for 


LETTERS    OF    A    FRIEND    TO    THE    NAVY.  349 

the  protection  of  commerce  exceeds  the  means  of  supply  which  this 
department  can  immediately  bring  -into  operation.  When,  there- 
fore, on  the  18th  of  May  last,  it  was  provided,  by  an  amendment  to 
the  general  naval  appropriation  bill,  that  the  President  of  the  United 
States  should  be  authorized  to  send  out  a  surveying  and  exploring 
expedition  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  South  Seas,  I  considered  it 
impracticable  to  fit  out  this  expedition  in  a  manner  to  meet  the 
views  of  Congress  under  eight  or  nine  months  without  a  serious 
injury  to  other  branches  of  the  naval  service. 

"The  only  insurmountable  difficulty,  however,  in  my  opinion, 
was  the  recruiting  the  requisite  number  of  seamen  in  three  or  four 
months  without  interfering  with  arrangements  already  made  for 
sending  ships  to  the  Pacific  and  Brazilian  stations,  and  for  sending 
an  additional  force  to  the  West  Indies. 

"  As,  however,  it  was  your  earnest  wish  that  the  intentions  of 
Congress  in  authorizing  this  measure  should  be  carried  into  effect 
with  the  least  possible  delay,  and  that  the  expedition  should  be 
fitted  out  upon  the  extensive  and  liberal  scale  which  the  indica- 
tions of  public  opinion  seemed  to  require  ;  and  as  the  officer,  Cap- 
tain Thomas  Ap.  Catesby  Jones,  selected  for  the  command  of  the 
expedition,  gave  assurances  that  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  seamen 
could  be  obviated  by  giving  him  power  to  have  them  recruited 
under  his  immediate  superintendence,  and  for  this  particular  ser- 
vice, it  was  determined  to  make  an  extraordinary  effort  to  accom- 
plish these  objects. 

"  Every  facility  consistent  with  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the 
navy  was  offered  to  Captain  Jones  for  recruiting  seamen  in  the 
manner  he  proposed  ;  and  measures. were  immediately  adopted  to 
have  one  frigate  of  the  second  class,  one  store-ship,  two  barks, 
and  one  schooner,  all  which  he  considered  as  indispensably  ne- 
cessary to  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  prepared  without  delay. 
The  frigate  and  store-ship,  which  were  on  the  stocks  when  this 
measure  was  adopted,  have  been  furnished  and  equipped,  and  are 
now  receiving  their  crews  ;  and  the  other  three  vessels  have  been 
entirely  built  and  equipped  for  sea.  The  whole  have  been  finished 
in  the  most  substantial  manner,  and  adapted  to  the  particular  ser- 
vice for  which  they  are  destined.  These  vessels  will  sail  to  Nor- 
folk to  complete  their  crews,  take  in  their  stores,  and  to  await  fur- 
ther orders. 

Ge 


350          LETTERS  OF  A  FRIEND  TO  THE  NAVY. 

"  To  prevent  any  delay  that  might  arise  from  the  want  of  math- 
ematical, astronomical,  and  philosophical  instruments,  books,  maps, 
charts,  &c.,  required  for  the  expedition,  Lieutenant  Wilkes,  of 
the  navy,  was  sent  to  Europe,  and  sailed  frorri  New-York  on  the 
8th  of  August  last,  to  make  the  necessary  purchases  ;  in  which  he 
has  been  successful  as  to  the  greater  part  of  the  articles  wanted. 
For  some  instruments,  however,  he  has  been  under  the  necessity 
of  waiting  until  they  can  be  manufactured.  His  return  is  expected 
about  the  middle  of  this  month. 

"It  is  believed  that  every  proper  exertion  has  been  made  to 
recruit  men  for  this  service,  but  without  the  anticipated  success ; 
no  more  than  about  two  hundred,  according  to  the  returns  received, 
being  as  yet  recruited  ;  and,  as  Captain  Jones  requires  five  hun- 
dred and  eighteen  petty  officers,  seamen,  ordinary  seamen,  boys, 
and  marines,  together  with  eighty-five  commissioned  and  warrant 
officers,  for  his  squadron,  it  is  evident  that  a  considerable  time 
must  yet  elapse  before  the  expedition  can  be  ready  for  sea. 

"  Recruiting  seamen  for  a  particular  service  may  be  attended 
with  great  inconvenience,  and  should  not  be  adopted  but  upon  the 
most  urgent  occasions,  such  as  that  of  the  exploring  expedition 
was  conceived  to  be.  If  the  exigences  of  the  government  should 
require  of  such  recruits  service  different  from  that  for  which  they 
were  enlisted,  discontent,  and  even  mutiny  may  be  apprehended. 
Besides,  this  mode  of  recruiting  cannot  but  interfere  with  the  re- 
cruiting for  the  general  service ;  and,  in  the  present  case,  the  order 
to  recruit  for  the  exploring  expedition  has  made  it  necessary  to 
adopt  the  same  mode  of  recruiting  for  the  crews  of  the  vessels 
about  to  sail  for  the  Pacific  and  Brazilian  stations. 

"  Recruiting  for  three  distinct  objects  of  service  at  the  same 
time,  while  the  usual  recruiting  for  the  general  service  is  contin- 
ued, cannot  but  retard  the  whole,  and  compel  us  to  keep  in  re- 
ceiving vessels  a  much  larger  number  of  recruits,  constantly  dis- 
posed to  desert,  than  would  be  required,  if  recruited,  for  the  gen- 
eral service  alone. 

"  Although  the  number  of  recruits  is  small  for  any  one  of  these 
objects,  yet,  in  the  aggregate,  the  number  is  quite  as  great  as 
should  be  expected,  when  we  consider  the  unusually  great  num- 
ber of  seamen  now  in  the  naval  service  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  great  demand  for  them  in  the  merchant  service. 


LETTERS    OF    A   FRIEND    TO    THE    NAVY.  351 

"  Although  the  return  of  the  public  vessels  now  ordered  to  the 
United  States  will,  to  a  considerable  extent,  furnish  men  for  fu- 
ture service,  yet  sending  out  so  large  a  force  as  that  required  for 
the  exploring  expedition,  to  be  detained  for  the  term  of  three  years, 
cannot  but  be  felt  as  a  serious  inconvenience  in  fitting  out  the 
number  of  vessels  wanted  for  the  immediate  protection  of  com- 
merce." 

From  this  it  appears  that  Commodore  Jones,  appointed  to  the 
command  of  the  exploring  squadron,  deemed  one  frigate  of  the 
second  class,  one  store-ship,  two  barks,  and  one  schooner,,  as  in- 
dispensably necessary  to  the  success  of  the  enterprise  ;  on  which 
measures  were  immediately  adopted  to  have  these  vessels  pre- 
pared without  delay.  This  report  the  president  laid  before  Con- 
gress. 

On  the  sixth  of  February  last  the  secretary  of  the  navy  made  a 
report  to  the  president,  in  which  he  states  that, 

"  In  answer  to  the  resolution  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
calling  for  information  as  to  the  progress  which  has  been  made  in 
the  arrangements  for  the  surveying  and  exploring  expedition  au- 
thorized at  the  last  session  of  Congress,  and  of  the  objects  and 
measures  to  which  said  expedition  is  to  be  devoted,  &c.,  and 
which,  on  the  fourth  instant,  you  referred  to  this  department,.  I 
have  the  honour  to  state  that,  in  my  annual  report  of  the  third  of 
December  last,  I  gave  a  brief  outline  of  the  progress  that  had  been 
made  in  the  arrangements  for  this  expedition  up  to  that  time ; 
which  may  be  found  in  document  number  two  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  pages  444,  5,  and  6,  together  with  a  report  of 
the  commissioners  of  the  navy  of  the  measures  which  had  been, 
taken  to  carry  the  same  into  effect,  and  an  estimate  of  the  amount 
that  will  be  required  for  the  support  of  the  frigate  Macedonian,  the 
store-ship  Relief,  the  two  barks  Pioneer  and  Consort,  and  the 
schooner  Pilot,  to  be  employed  on  this  expedition  for  one  year, 
which  report  and  estimate  may  be  found  in  pages  484  and  485  of 
the  same  document. 

"  The  resolution  referred  to  requires  further  information  than 
was  contained  in  my  report,  as  also  what  progress  has  since  been 
made  in  these  arrangements. 

"  The  great  objects  of  this  expedition,  as  understood  by  this 
department,  are  to  explore  the  seas  of  the  Southern  Hemisphere, 


352  LETTERS    OF   A    FRIEND   TO   THE   NAVY. 

more  particularly  in  the  high  latitudes,  and  in  the  regions  as  near 
to  the  pole  as  may  be  approached  without  danger ;  to  make  in 
these  regions  thus  to  be  explored  all  practicable  surveys  and  ob- 
servations, with  accurate  descriptions  of  the  same,  connected  with 
geography  or  hydrography,  by  which  the  interests  of  commerce 
and  navigation  may  be  promoted ;  and  to  make  all  such  researches 
as  the  opportunities  of  the  expedition  will  afford,  to  advance  all 
branches  of  science  which  have  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
governments  of  Europe  in  fitting  out  vessels  for  survey  and  dis- 
covery. **^;. 

"  In  the  beginning  of  July  last  your  wishes  to  carry  into  effect, 
to  their  full  extent,  the  views  of  Congress  in  authorizing  this  ex- 
pedition, induced  you  to  make  it  a  subject  of  immediate  consider- 
ation and  action. 

"  Captain  Thomas  Ap.  C.  Jones  was  selected  to  take  command 
of  the  expedition.  The  offer  to  take  this  command  was  made  to 
him,  and  accepted  on  his  part. 

4<  The  confidence  placed  in  this  officer,  which  led  to  his  selec- 
tion for  this  important  command,  seemed  to  require  that  he  should 
be  consulted  as  to  the  number  and  size  of  the  vessels,  and  of  the 
vessels,  and  of  the  amount  of  force,  of  which  his  squadron  was  to 
be  held  in  a  high  degree  responsible  for  the  success  of  the  expe- 
dition. 

"  He  was  of  opinion  that  one  frigate  of  the  second  class,  one 
store-ship,  two  barks,  and  one  schooner,  were  indispensably  ne- 
cessary to  the  success  of  this  object. 

"  In  accordance  with  this  opinion,  the  most  prompt  measures 
were  adopted  for  preparing  and  fitting  for  sea  the  vessels  required. 

"  Captain  Jones  was  instructed  to  visit  the  different  navy  yards  in 
which  the  vessels  for  his  squadron  were  to  be  built  and  prepared, 
and  to  make  such  suggestions  as  he  should  think  proper  as  to  the 
manner  of  building  and  preparing  the  same,  and  to  which  the  com- 
mandants of  the  yards  were  directed  to  conform. 

"  As,  at  the  time  of  passing  the  act  authorizing  this  expedition, 
it  was  necessary  to  take  -immediate  measures  for  relieving  our 
squadrons  on  the  Pacific  and  Brazilian  stations,  as  well  as  to 
send  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  a  considerable  force  in  addition  to 
that  previously  sent  there,  it  was  evident  that  the  requisite  number 
of  seamen  for  this  expedition  could  not  be  recruited  without  ex- 


LETTERS    OF    A    FRIEND   TO   THE    NAVY.  353 

traordinary  exertions.  Measures  were  therefore  taken  to  recruit 
men  for  this  particular  service  under  the  direction  and  super- 
intendence of  Captain  Jones,  and  Lieutenants  Tatnall,  R.  R. 
Pinckham,  Purviance,  and  H.  W.  Morris  were  ordered  to  report 
to  him  for  service  in  recruiting  for  this  expedition  ;  and  others  were 
subsequently  ordered  for  the  same  service.  It  is  believed  that 
due  diligence  has  been  exercised  by  the  officers  on  this  service 
to  recruit  the  requisite  number  of  men,  but  without  the  success 
that  had  been  anticipated.  This  is  partly  owing  to  the  necessity 
of  recruiting  at  the  same  time  for  the  Pacific,  Brazilian,  and  West 
India  stations ;  and  of  the  five  hundred  and  eighteen  seamen,  or- 
dinary seamen,  landsmen,  and  boys  required  for  the  several  ves- 
sels of  the  exploring  squadron,  no  more  than  two  hundred  and 
forty-eight  have  been  yet  recruited,  as  by  the  last  returns. 

"  The  difficulties,  however,  which  have  retarded  the  recruiting 
for  this  expedition  are  nearly  obviated  ;  and  it  is  confidently 
hoped  that  in  a  short  time  there  will  be  sufficient  numbers  re- 
cruited to  complete  the  crews  of  all  the  vessels  of  the  squadron." 

This  report  was  transmitted  to  the  House  of  Representatives 
with  an  expression  of  a  wish,  on  the  part  of  the  president,  that  all 
facilities  might  be  given  to  the  exploring  expedition  that  Congress 
could  bestow  and  the  honour  of  the  nation  demand. 

If  the  objects  of  the  expedition  indispensably  required  the  em- 
ployment of  five,  or  even  six  ships,  and  the  honour  of  the  nation 
demanded  the  employment  of  so  large  a  force,  then  was  Presi- 
dent Jackson  in  favour  of  it,  not  otherwise. 

Congress  in  February  last  made  appropriations  under  which 
five  ships  might  be  employed  on  this  expedition,  but  did  not  re- 
quire that  so  large  a  force  should  be  employed  unless,  agreeably 
to  the  condition  of  the  act  authorizing  the  measure,  such  force 
should  be  necessary  and  proper  to  render  the  expedition  efficient 
and  useful.  The  appropriations  do  not  require  the  needless  ex- 
penditure of  money ;  nor  do  they  in  the  slightest  degree  interfere 
with  the  propriety  of  reducing  this  force,  if  the  interest  of  the 
country  should  require  it. 

The  character  of  the  expedition  has  not  been  changed ;  it  was 
originally  a  surveying  and  exploring  expedition,  and  is  so  still. 

By  the  reports  cited  it  will  appear  that  there  was  extreme  dif- 
fir.nl tv  in  extending  to  our  commerce  all  the  protection  due  to  it, 


354          LETTERS  OF  A  FRIEND  TO  THE  NAVY. 

and  which  the  interest  as  well  as  the  honour  of  the  country  de- 
manded should  be  attended  to  in  preference  to  the  exploring  ex- 
pedition. 

In  the  years  1836  and  1837  more  has  been  required  and  more 
has  been  done  for  the  protection  of  commerce  than  in  any  other 
two  years  since  the  late  war. 

Before  the  required  number  of  seamen  could  be  recruited 
for  the  exploring  expedition,  it  was  discovered  that  the  bark 
Pioneer  was  unfit  for  the  service  for  which  she  was  intended ; 
and  the  bark  Consort  and  the  schooner  Pilot  were  considered  as 
Jess  fit  for  the  service  than  the  Pioneer ;  at  least,  such  was  the 
prevailing  opinion  among  the  officers  of  the  navy. 

The  secretary  of  the  navy  is  not  to  be  charged  for  the  want  of 
success  in  recruiting  seamen  for  the  expedition ;  and  surely  he  is 
not  to  be  held  responsible  for  the  condition  in  which  the  vessels 
built  for  the  expedition  are  found.  But  he  will  be  held  responsi- 
ble to  the  country  if  he  suffers  these  vessels  to  go  on  the  expedi- 
tion without  a  thorough  examination.  For  such  an  examination 
appropriate  measures  were  adopted.  Delay  must  ensue  ;  but  this 
is  unavoidable.  Delay  in  our  ports  is  to  be  preferred  to  disaster 
abroad. 

The  great  offence  on  the  part  of  the  secretary  is,  that  the  com- 
missioners have  been  instructed  to  inquire  whether  the  exploring 
squadron  may  not  be  reduced  in  number  of  vessels  and  men  with 
advantage  to  the  country  and  without  prejudice  to  the  great  ob- 
jects of  the  expedition. 

If  such  a  reduction  can,  it  is  highly  expedient  that  it  should 
take  place  in  the  present  situation  of  the  country.  The  exigen- 
ces of  our  commerce  are  such  as  to  render  it  highly  improper  to 
send  out  a  larger  force  for  the  purpose  of  survey  and  exploration 
than  may  be  absolutely  wanted  for  those  particular  objects.  Pro- 
curing the  large  amount  of  specie  that  will  be  wanted  for  this  en- 
tire squadron,  especially  if  it  is  to  be  increased  by  the  addition  of 
another  ship,  now  required  by  Commodore  Jones,  will  create 
much  embarrassment.  This  difficulty  was  not  foreseen  at  the  last 
session  of  Congress ;  and  the  circumstance,  which  is  now  appa- 
rent, that  we  shall  lack  revenue  for  the  exigences  of  government 
in  the  coming  year,  would  justify  the  inquiry  if  there  might  not 


LETTERS    OF  A    FRIEND    TO    THE    NAVY.  355 

be  some  reduction  in  the  million  and  a  half  of  dollars  which  this 
exploring  expedition  is  about  to  cost  us. 

The  "  Citizen"  accuses  the  secretary  of  the  navy  of  deceiving 
the  commissioners  as  to  the  objects  of  the  expedition. 

The  objects  stated  to  the  commissioners  are  the  same  as  were 
stated  in  the  report  of  the  6th  February,  laid  before  the  House  of 
Representatives,  and  not  disapproved  of  by  them. 

The  commissioners  were  informed  that  the  cruise  of  the  ex- 
ploring expedition  would  continue  three  years  ;  that  its  objects 
would  be  chiefly  to  explore  the  oceans  and  seas  of  the  Southern 
Hemisphere,  more  particularly  in  high  latitudes,  and  in  regions  as 
near  the  pole  as  may  be  approached  without  danger. 

That  some  portions  of  the  Pacific  north  of  the  equator  might 
probably  be  visited  by  the  squadron,  or  some  part  of  it. 

That  the  scientific  corps  to  be  attached  to  this  expedition  would 
consist  of  from  fourteen  to  eighteen  individuals,  whose  duty  it 
would  be  to  make  in  the  regions  to  be  explored  all  practicable  sur- 
veys and  observations  of  the  same,  with  such  accurate  descrip- 
tions and  drawings  as  may  be  most  useful  for  the  purposes  of 
navigation  and  commerce  ;  and  to  make  such  researches  as  the 
opportunities  of  the  expedition  would  afford  in  all  branches  of 
science,  which  have  attracted  the  attention  of  the  governments  of 
Europe  in  fitting  out  expeditions  of  a  like  character  with  this. 

Surely  this  embraces  enough  for  the  consideration  of  the  com- 
missioners, whose  professional  experience  enables  them  to  deter- 
mine with  accuracy  what  is  meant  by  the  terms  surveying  and 
exploring  expedition.  , 

The  duties  to  be  performed  under  the  commander  of  the  squad- 
ron will  be  pointed  out  to  him  in  detail  in  his  final  instructions, 
but  need  not  be  communicated  to  the  commissioners. 

The  "  Citizen"  thinks  the  vessels  of  this  squadron  should  have 
been  sent  out  long  since,  fit  or  unfit  for  the  service,  for  he  says 
the  expedition  should  "  now  be  doubling  the  cape,  and  every  one 
engaged  in  the  enterprise  full  of  hopes  of  having  immediate  op- 
portunities of  fulfilling  their  country's  expectations." 

Now,  although  it  is  very  pleasant  weather  here  in  June  and  July, 
it  is  quite  the  reverse  at  Cape  Horn  ;  it  is  winter  there,  and  the 
officers  of  the  navy  would  prefer  a  different  season  for  doubling 
the  cane,  if  a  "  Citizen"  will  permit  them. 


356  LETTERS    OF   A    FRIEND   TO   THE    NAVY. 

How  much  time  will  be  required  for  making  the  alterations 
which  may  be  found  necessary  in  these  vessels  is  uncertain; 
probably  not  more  than  a  few  weeks.  The  requisite  number  of 
seamen  are  recruited;  and  unless  there  should  be  difficulty  in 
commanding  the  service  of  officers  upon  this  expedition,  it  may 
leave  the  United  States  in  time  for  doubling  Cape  Horn  at  the 
most  favourable  season  of  the  year. 

A  FRIEND  TO  THE  NAVY. 

July  31, 1837. 


II. 


The  facts  stated  in  my  former  number  show  that  the  difficulty 
and  delay  of  recruiting  seamen  for  the  exploring  expedition  were 
not  to  be  attributed  to  the  secretary  of  the  navy,  nor  was  he  to 
be  charged  with  the  delay  occasioned  by  the  necessity  of  having 
a  thorough  examination  of  the  two  barks  and  schooner  built  ex- 
pressly for  the  expedition.  But  the  "  Citizen"  accuses  him  of 
being  opposed  to  the  bill  authorizing  the  expedition. 

There  has  probably  been  no  secretary  of  the  navy  who  would 
not  have  gladly  engaged  in  sending  out  an  exploring  expedition, 
if  it  could  be  done  in  accordance  with  his  own  views,  and  with- 
out embarrassing  him  in  the  performance  of  other  official  duties 
of  more  immediate  importance  and  of  higher  responsibility. 

In  1836  the  duties  to  be  performed  by  the  navy  for  the  pro- 
tection of  commerce,  and  which  the  honour  of  the  nation  required 
should  be  attended  to  in  preference  to  all  others,  exceeded  the 
means  of  the  navy  department,  as  appears  by  the  published  ex- 
tracts from  the  secretary's  reports  ;  and  the  imposition  of  new 
duties  in  fitting  out  an  exploring  expedition  could  not  fail  to  in- 
crease the  difficulties  of  his  situation,  without  relieving  him  of  re- 
sponsibilities, which  effect  they  have  had,  to  the  most  serious  in- 
jury of  the  service.  It  is  not  strange  that  the  secretary  should 
feel  opposed  to  the  imposition  of  new  duties  at  a  time  of  so  much 
difficulty;  nor  is  it  strange  that  he  should  be  opposed  to  the 
manner  in  which  the  provision  for  the  exploring  expedition  was 
introduced  into  the  general  appropriation  bills  for  the  navy. 


LETTERS    OF   A  FRIEND    TO    THE    NAVY.  357 

Early  in  the  session  this  bill  had  been  sent  from  the  House  of 
Representatives  to  the  Senate ;  there  an  amendment  was  pro- 
posed authorizing  this  expedition ;  and  there  it  remained,  loaded 
with  this  rider,  until  nearly  the  time  of  passing  the  bill  on  the 
18th  of  May,  1836,  more  than  five  months  after  the  commence- 
ment of  the  session,  and  when  the  naval  service  was  greatly  em- 
barrassed for  want  of  the  appropriations ;  for  not  a  dollar  had 
been  appropriated  for  this  service  from  the  beginning  of  the  ses- 
sion until  this  time. 

Much  delay  has  taken  place  in  consequence  of  the  condition  of 
these  vessels ;  but  all  difficulties  as  to  the  vessels  can  be  removed 
in  time  for  sending  out  the  expedition  so  as  to  double  Cape  Horn 
at  the  most  favourable  season  of  the  year.  The  two  barks  can  be 
so  altered  as  to  make  them  fit  for  this  service,  and  the  schooner, 
should  the  officers  place  no  confidence  in  her,  can  be  left,  and 
another  substituted ;  and  even  the  additional  ship  which  Commo- 
dore Jones  now  requires  can  be  procured,  should  it  be  deemed 
necessary. 

There  is,  however,  a  serious  difficulty  in  the  case  not  men- 
tioned by  the  "Citizen,"  but  produced  in  no  small  degree  by  him- 
self, which  requires  examination  :  that  is,  the  general  disincli- 
nation, on  the  part  of  the  officers  of  the  navy,  to  engage  in  this  ex- 
pedition, which  arises,  in  part,  from  an  impression  that  this  is  con- 
sidered the  expedition  of  an  individual  rather  than  of  the  country ; 
and  from  the  circumstance  that  two  meritorious  and  scientific  of- 
ficers were  excluded  from  the  command  of  two  of  the  smaller 
vessels  of  the  squadron. 

The  officers  of  the  navy  are  probably  afraid  that,  from  the 
published  opinions  of  various  distinguished  gentlemen  of  the 
transcendent  claims  of  Mr. ,  that  he  will  have  an  undue  in- 
fluence in  the  movements  of  the  squadron,  as  that  of  doubling 
Cape  Horn  in  June  and  July ;  approaching  too  nearly  to  the 
verge  of  this  said  opening  of  sixteen  degrees  around  the  pole,  or 
some  other  movements  to  test  the  truth  of  his  strange  theories. 

These  fears  have  not  been  removed  by  the  displays  of  science 

in  Mr. 's  published  address,  in  which  he  informs  the  world 

that  "  the  great  improvements  in  mathematical  instruments  have 
made  the  path  of  the  mariner  in  the  darkest  night,  and  amid  rush- 


358  LETTERS  OF  A  FRIEND  TO  THE  NAVY. 

ing  tempests,  as  easy  to  be  attained  and  followed  as  the  paved 
streets  of  a  populous  city."  Page  16. 

That  "  in  every  part  of  the  earth's  circumference  where  a  keel 
can  go  our  countrymen  are  to  be  found  gleaning  the  molluscous 
treasures  from  the  coral  reefs  in  equatorial  climes,"  &c.  P.  24. 

That  "what  men  can  do  they  (American  seamen)  have  always 
felt  ready  to  attempt ;  what  man  has  done  it  is  their  character  to 
feel  able  to  do  ;  whether  it  be  to  grapple  with  an  enemy  on  the 
deep,  or  to  pursue  the  gigantic  game  under  the  burning  line  with 
an  intelligence  and  ardour  that  ensure  success,  or,  pushing  their 
adventurous  barks  into  the  high  southern  latitudes,  to  circle  the 
globe  within  the  antarctic  circle,  and  attain  the  pole  itself ;  yea, 
to  cast  anchor  on  that  point  where  all  the  meridians  terminate, 
where  our  eagle  and  star-spangled  banner  may  be  unfurled  and 
planted,  and  left  to  wave  on  the  axis  of  the  earth  itself!"  P.  99. 

This  address  contains  many  other  passages  equally  delectable 
and  instructive. 

It  is  certainly  news  to  the  naval  officers  that  the  improvements 
in  mathematical  instruments  have  made  the  path  of  the  mariner 
in  the  darkest  night,  and  amid  rushing  tempests,  as  easy  to  be  at- 
tained and  followed  as  a  paved  street  in  a  populous  city.  This 
would  be  extremely  consoling  to  them  could  they  believe  it. 
But,  as  this  information  is  so  far  in  advance  of  anything  ever  said 
or  thought  of  by  Laplace  or  Bowditch,  the  officers  must  be  ex- 
cused for  believing  that  Mr. was  practising  upon  the  cre- 
dulity of  his  audience,  or  that  he  was  totally  ignorant  of  the  sub- 
ject upon  which  he  was  speaking.  Our  officers  will  also  be  sur- 
prised to  hear  that  in  every  part  of  the  earth's  circumference 
where  a  keel  can  go  our  countrymen  are  to  be  found  gleaning 
molluscous  treasures  from  the  coral  reefs  in  equatorial  climes. 
As  our  keels  can  go  into  Hudson's  Bay  and  Behring's  Straits,  our 

countrymen  must  be  there,  according  to  Mr. 's  information, 

gleaning  molluscous  treasures — and  from  coral  reefs  too — and 
those  reefs  of  equatorial  climes,  whether  abounding  in  molluscous 
treasures  or  not. 

From  Mr. 's  flourish  of  circling  the  globe  within  the  an- 
tarctic circle,  yea,  of  casting  anchor  on  the  point  where  all  the 
meridians  terminate,  and  of  leaving  the  star-spangled  banner  to 
wave  on  the  axis  of  the  ^arth  itself,  which  he,  no  doubt,  considers 


LETTERS    OF    A    FRIEND    TO    THE    NAVY.  359 

a  huge  flagstaff,  it  would  appear  that  he  has  renounced  his  former 
theory  of  a  great  opening  of  sixteen  degrees  at  the  pole  ;  that  is, 
if  he  is  in  earnest  in  his  plan  of  leaving  the  American  flag  to  wave 
on  the  axis  of  the  earth,  of  which  there  is  some  doubt. 

The  extravagances  of  Mr. have  created  many  difficulties 

in  fitting  out  this  expedition ;  yet  all  these  can  be  obviated  if  he 
will  be  content  with  the  distinguished  and  lucrative  situation  as- 
signed him  in  the  same,  and  not  ostentatiously  and  offensively  at- 
tempt the  direction  of  the  enterprise,  to  the  great  annoyance  of 
officers  who  have  entered  the  navy  with  hopes  of  distinguishing 
themselves  in  battle  for  their  country,  and  who  have  no  ambition 
to  engage  in  the  service  now  proposed  for  them  under  his  au- 
spices. 

Respect  is  due  to  the  pride  and  feelings  of  gallant  officers  of 
whom  unusual,  unexpected,  and  subordinate  duties  are  required. 

On  this  expedition  much  time  must  be  spent  in  collecting  and 
examining  subjects  of  natural  history  ;  much  time  must  be  spent 
in  tracing  the  shores  and  dredging  in  the  deep  seas  in  search  of 
new  and  undescribed  animals.  By  these  labours  great  additions 
will  be  made  to  science  highly  interesting  to  the  gentlemen  en- 
gaged in  making  discoveries,  and  highly  honourable  to  the  coun- 
try, but  somewhat  irksome  to  officers  performing  a  subordinate 
part  in  these  operations,  and  who  aspire  to  service  more  properly 
belonging  to  their  professional  duties. 

To  such  labours  and  discoveries  no  more  force  should  be  applied 
than  what  is  absolutely  necessary. 

In  other  countries  exploring  expeditions  are  fitted  out,  but  gen- 
erally on  a  small  scale. 

Among  the  most  splendid  exploring  voyages  of  modern  times 
is  that  of  the  Astrolabe,  a  corvette  of  eighteen  guns  and  a  crew 
of  eighty  men. 

Two  ships  would  be  quite  enough  for  the  purposes  of  survey 
and  exploration  on  this  South  Sea  expedition,  and  an  additional 
vessel  for  the  search  of  wrecked  mariners. 

Five  ships  and  six  hundred  men  cannot  be  wanted  for  any  pur- 
pose whatever  necessarily  connected  with  the  expedition,  not  even 
for  the  purpose  of  gleaning  molluscous  treasures  from  coral  reefs, 
in  which  it  seems  our  countrymen  are  engaged  wherever  a  keel 
can  go. 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

The  country  wishes  to  see  an  exploring  expedition  fitted  ana 
sent  out  commensurate  with  the  proper  objects  of  such  an  expe- 
dition, and  no  greater.  It  does  not  wish  to  pay  a  million  and  a 
half  of  dollars  for  what,  at  most,  should  cost  half  a  million ;  and, 
especially,  it  does  not  wish  to  send  out  the  specie  that  will  be  re- 
quired for  the  expedition  on  the  magnificent  scheme  of  Mr. , 

at  a  time  like  this,  when  the  specie  wanted  for  the  indispensable 
exigences  of  the  navy  can  with  the  greatest  difficulty  be  pro- 
cured. 

If  the  secretary  of  the  navy  had  thought  himself  authorized  to 
send  out  the  exploring  squadron  in  preference  to  providing  for 
the  Pacific,  Brazilian,  and  West  India  stations,  which  he  certainly 
did  not,  yet  he  could  not  have  sent  out  the  number  of  ships  re- 
quired by  Mr. ,  as  they  are  not  prepared  for  service,  nor 

will  they  be  for  some  weeks  to  come ;  and  yet,  on  the  part  of 
the  secretary,  there  has  not  been  a  moment's  delay  in  having  those 
vessels  prepared  for  sea.  The  delay,  if  any,  is  to  be  attributed  to 
some  other  quarter. 

A  FRIEND  TO  THE  NAVY. 

August  1,  1837 


CITIZEN'S  LETTERS. 

VII. 

To  the  Honourable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

SIR, 

The  sagacious  Prince  of  Idumea,  the  patient  Job,  once  said, 
"  Oh  !  that  mine  enemy  had  written  a  book ;"  the  true  interpreta- 
tion of  which  is,  Oh  !  that  mine  antagonist  would  put  his  arguments 
in  writing;  he  has,  thank  God,  done  it  in  this  case.  Yes,  sir,  you 
have  at  length  been  aroused.  The  voice  of  public  censure  has 
reached  you,  while  but  a  single  individual  has  been  found  to  file 
for  you  a  plea  of  not  guilty  before  the  bar  of  public  opinion.  The 
Times  of  31st  July  and  1st  of  August  contains  his  productions 
over  the  signature  of  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy ;"  which,  for  the  sake 
of  consistency,  and  in  order  to  leave  a  more  faithful  record  for  the 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  361 

future,  had  more  properly  been  simply  "  your  friend"  or  "  an  en- 
emy to  the  navy." 

When  I  cast  my  eyes  cursorily,  for  the  first  time,  over  these 
"delectable"  productions,  I  could  not  help  feeling  deep  commis- 
eration for  you,  that  so  long  a  life  of  patriotic,  liberal,  and  enlight- 
ened services  to  your  country — of  which,  unfortunately,  but  few 
records  have  been  preserved — and  especially  the  several  years  you 
have  occupied — I  cannot  say  filled — the  chair  of  your  official  pre- 
decessors, watching  with  more  than  paternal  solicitude  over  the 
naval  concerns  of  the  country,  infusing  into  all  their  branches  a 
due  proportion  of  your  own  energy  and  decision,  and  inspiring  the 
officers  by  your  own  illustrious  example  with  a  liberal  and  har- 
monious spirit  of  action ;  I  say,  remembering  all  these  things,  I 
could  not  avoid  feeling  commiseration  that  no  abler  pen  had  been 
employed  in  the  doubtful  task  of  rescuing  your  official  character 
from  obloquy.  I  could  not  but  ask  myself,  where  is  the  chivalry  of 
the  navy,  that  it  does  not  rally  round  its  great  head  and  pattern 
in  this  his  hour  of  need  ? 

In  looking  over,  for  the  second  time,  what  "  A  Friend  to  the 
Navy"  had  put  forth  in  your  defence,  I  must  own  I  had  some  mis- 
givings as  to  who  that  "  friend"  might  be.  I  began  strongly  to 
suspect  that  he  was  no  friend,  but  an  enemy,  to  you  as  well  as  to 
the  navy,  who  had  assumed  the  mask  of  friendship  for  the  malig- 
nant purpose  of  rendering  you  ridiculous  in  the  eyes  of  your  coun- 
trymen by  the  very  puerile,  evasive,  and  disconnected  style  he 
had  adopted  in  attempting  to  sustain  you.  This  impression  was 
further  strengthened  by  the  fact,  apparent  to  every  reader  of  hh* 
articles,  that  all  the  charges  I  have  preferred  against  you  were, 
substantially,  admitted ;  while  the  whole  scope  and  tenour  of  the 
language  used  manifested  more  decided  hostility  to  the  expedition 
than  had  been  openly  avowed  in  any  previous  communication  of 
your  own.  I  intend  to  have  an  extra  number  of  these  articles 
struck  off,  as,  whether  prepared  by  a  friend  or  a  foe,  they  serve 
to  confirm  everything  I  have  said  in  my  letters  with  regard  to  you* 
and  such  were  my  second  impressions ;  they  did  not,  however, 
last  long. 

When  I  began  to  compare  the  effusions  of  "  A  Friend  to  the 
Navy"  with  the  extracts  from  your  official  reports,  inserted  by  him 
in  the  way  of  filling  up  your  defence,  and  noticed  their  striking 
Q 


362  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN- 

similitude  in  style  and  language,  the  familiarity  with  wnich  refer- 
ence was  made  to  reports  and  instructions  not  yet  made  public, 
together  with  certain  allusions  to  doings  and  intentions  of  the  de- 
partment which  could  be  known  to  yourself  alone,  I  could  not 
help  imbibing  the  belief,  here  quite  current,  that  the  author  or 
"  Friend  to  the  Navy"  was  a  personage  high  in  place,  who  spoke 
as  one  having  authority.  This  circumstance,  I  thought,  might 
elevate  to  the  dignity  of  deserving  a  notice  compositions  which, 
without  such  adventitious  aid,  were  absolutely  beneath  criticism, 
and  could  only  be  attributed  to  a  high  source  by  supposing  the  in- 
cumbent utterly  incompetent  to  discharge  the  important  duties  of 
his  station. 

This  is  a  melancholy  reflection,  and  no  less  melancholy  is  the 
task  of  noticing  at  all  the  defence  of  such  a  champion  of  the  hon- 
ourable secretary  of  the  navy. 

"  A  narrative  of  facts  not  generally  known"  is  promised  in  the 
beginning  by  your  defender.  Has  any  narrative  been  given,  sir, 
which  impairs  the  force  of  the  charges  I  have  brought  against  you ; 
charges  of  which  the  justice  is  felt  and  acknowledged  by  all  who 
have  had  anything  to  do  with  your  department  or  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  your  tardy,  insincere,  and  reluctant  action  in  fitting  out 
the  expedition? 

Why  was  your  defence,  in  point  of  time,  commenced  from  the 
late  period  when  Lieutenant  Tatnall  returned  in  the  Pioneer  from 
the  coast  of  Mexico,  ten  months  after  the  passage  of  the  bill,  and 
more  than  eighteen  months  after  you  had  set  your  mighty  ener- 
gies to  work  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  expedition  being 
authorized  ?  What  was  your  official  action  in  the  premises  during 
that  period?  Why  has  not  this  point  been  met  and  explained 
awajf  ?  Sir,  do  you  suppose  the  community  blind  ?  Do  you  flat- 
ter yourself  that  you  can  roll  back,  even  assisted  by  the  puissant 
arm  of  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy,"  the  current  of  public  reprehension 
which  your  official  career  has  called  down  upon  you?  Make  the 
effort,  sir,  and  preserve  yourself  if  you  can. 

The  Pioneer  was  reported  unfit  for  the  expedition,  and  Com- 
modore Jones,  at  his  own  request,  was  directed  to  make  an  ex- 
perimental cruise.  That  cruise  was  made,  and  its  result  inspired 
the  commander  with  confidence  in  his  vessels,  or,  as  you  say,  he 
•"  reported  favourably  of  the  vessels."  I  have  seen  a  letter  written 


LETTERS    OP    A    CITIZEN.  363 

by  you  after  receiving  that  report,  wherein  you  write, "  The  report 
of  Commodore  Jones  is  extremely  discouraging."  Put  this  and 
that  together  ;  but  let  it  pass. 

It  was  recommended  that  the  vessels  go  into  drydock.  This 
was  a  godsend  to  you.  The  occasion  was  seized  upon,  and  made 
a  pretext  for  the  appointment  of  a  commission  extraordinary,  al- 
though Commodore  Jones  had  returned  and  "reported  favoura- 
bly." How  did  you  speak  of  this  report  when  first  received? 
Did  you  then  say  it  was  favourable  ?  I  apprehend  not ;  at  any 
rate,  accident  has  placed  before  me  a  letter,  to  which  I  have  al- 
ready referred,  in  which  you  speak  of  this  same  report  as  "ex- 
tremely discouraging ! !" 

Of  this  board:  the  obvious  motive  for  its  appointment;  the 
extraordinary  character  of  the  instructions  you  gave  for  the  gui- 
dance of  its  action;  the  consequent  duties  you  expected  it  to 
perform,  are  subjects  which  have  all  been  sufficiently  discussed 
in  my  preceding  letters,  and  demand  but  a  short  incidental  no- 
tice here.  Not  to  look  into  the  condition  of  the  vessels  only 
was  the  commission  opened,  but  to  assume,  to  a  certain  degree, 
legislative  power  ;  to  undo  what  Congress  had  directed  should  be 
done,  and  which  you,  with  all  your  hostility  to  the  expedition,  had 
not  the  moral  courage  to  contravene ;  in  short,  to  reduce  the  force 
authorized.  Why  was  not  Commodore  Jones  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  ?  Was  he  not  deeply  interested  in  the  examin- 
ations and  decisions  to  be  made  ?  Were  you  apprehensive  that 
he  would  expose  the  insidious  character  of  your  instructions,  by 
showing  the  members  of  your  commission  that  you  had  now  as- 
sumed new  ground  and  adopted  opinions  directly  at  variance  with 
those  you  had  previously  professed  to  entertain  ?  Had  you  for- 
gotten, or  was  it  inconvenient  to  remember,  what  you  had  said  of 
that  officer  in  your  famous  report  of  April  6, 1 837  ?  If  you  had 
foreseen  your  present  predicament,  you  would  never  have  penned 
the  following  sentence  :  "  The  confidence  placed  in  this  officer 
(Commodore  Jones),  which  led  to  his  selection  for  this  important 
command,  seemed  to  require  that  he  should  be  consulted  as  to  the 
number  and  size  of  the  vessels,  and  the  amount  of  force  of  which 
his  squadron  was  to  consist,  as  he  was  to  be  held  in  a  high  degree 
responsible  for  the  success  of  the  expedition"  A  liberal  and  just 
sentence  this,  but  only  written  for  effect,  not  for  action,  as  your 


364  LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN. 

recent  course  has  abundantly  proved.  You  acknowledge  that  the 
commander,  inasmuch  as  he  was  to  be  held  in  a  high  .degree  re- 
sponsible for  the  success  of  the  expedition,  ought  to  be  consulted 
on  the  force  to  be  employed,  and  afterward  to  exclude  him  from 
a  board  instructed  to  decide  on  this  very  point.  Do  you  imagine, 
sir,  this  shallow  device  was  not  fully  understood  ;  or  do  you  sup- 
pose there  is  a  man  of  intelligence  in  the  country,  who  has  paid 
the  slightest  attention  to  the  subject,  who  believes  that  an  honest 
solicitude  for  the  success  of  the  enterprise  was  your  motive  for 
convening  this  board,  under  the  instructions  it  received  ?  Did 
you  not  expect,  sir,  that  it  would  report  as  a  packed  jury  would 
decide  ;  and  have  you  not  been  greviously  disappointed  by  the  re- 
cent decision  against  you  ?  Can  you  deny  it  ?  Yes,  you  may, 
probably  will  do  so ;  but  you  cannot  conceal,  even  while  making 
the  denial,  the  keen  and  bitter  disappointment  rankling  within  that 
this,  your  great  last  move,  has  been  defeated,  leaving  you  once 
more  naked,  alone,  and  unsupported  in  your  plans  to  destroy 
the  efficiency  of  the  expedition  ;  or  at  least  proving  that,  if  you 
had  supporters,  they  did  not  choose  to  compromise  themselves  by 
publicly  agreeing  with  you,  under  circumstances  so  well  calcu- 
lated to  call  in  question  their  patriotism  and  sense  of  public  duty. 
Thus  discomfited,  worsted,  and  overruled  in  all  your  machina- 
tions ;  required  by  the  present  as  well  as  by  the  late  executive  to 
go  on  and  do  your  duty,  and  that  speedily,  you  have  at  last,  with 
something  like  an  "  extraordinary  effort,"  put  the  preparations  in 
a  state  of  progress.  The  falling  off  in  the  revenue,  with  the  im- 
mense and  ruinous  amount  of  specie  which  the  squadron  will  re- 
quire, are  points  from  which  you  still  entertain  some  lingering 
hopes.  I  will  examine  the  piteous  wailings  of  "  A  Friend  to  the 
Navy,"  and  pledge  myself  to  show  that  he  is  as  uninformed  upon 
the  latter  subject  as  you  have  chosen  to  remain  of  the  true  pur- 
poses of  the  expedition.  For  what  end  is  a  heavy  amount  of  spe- 
cie needed  by  the  squadron  ?  If  it  touch  at  Lima  or  Valparaiso, 
we  have  naval  stores  and  a  navy  agent  at  both  those  places  ;  and 
there  bills  on  the  United  States  command  a  premium.  In  the 
purchase  of  refreshments  at  most  of  the  islands  specie  is  unne- 
cessary, inasmuch  as  all  the  provisions  furnished  by  the  natives 
are  to  be  procured  in  exchange  for  our  domestic  manufactures 
(implements  of  industry,  &c.),  which  will  leave  the  money  at 


LETTERS    OP   A    CITIZEN.  365 

home,  instead  of  expending  it  in  foreign  ports,  as  is  done  by 
the  rest  of  our  squadrons.  Sir,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that 
the  specie  requisite  for  this  expedition  will  not  amount  to  one 
third  the  sum  required  for  a  similar  force  on  any  of  the  regular 
foreign  stations;  and,  moreover,  if  the  purpose  of  the  expedi- 
tion be  to  reach  the  South  Pole,  or  near  it,  what,  in  the  name 
of  common  sense,  would  be  the  demands  for  specie  there  ?  To 
bring  such  an  argument  against  the  enterprise  shows  that  "A 
Friend  to  the  Navy"  must  have  felt  himself  at  a  nonplus  in  seek- 
ing feasible  apologies  for  your  conduct. 

Let  me  see,  sir,  what  is  the  next  point  to  be  noticed  ?  The 
law  authorizing  the  expedition.  This  must  be  examined,  as  "  A 
Friend  to  the  Navy"  has  been  wildly  extravagant  in  his  interpre- 
tation of  its  meaning,  and  has  made  an  effort  to  shield  your  late  il- 
legal proceedings  by  his  palpable  misconstructions.  The  fre- 
quency with  which  he  refers  to  this  law  shows  that  he  relies  mainly 
on  its  authority  in  attempting  your  vindication.  I  own  that  on 
this  point  his  arguments  are  by  far  more  specious  than  on  any 
other  connected  with  the  subject;  nevertheless,  his  conclusions 
are  unsound,  and  in  no  respect  warranted  by  the  act  from  which 
they  are  deduced.  The  words  of  the  law  are  : 

"  That  the  President  of  the  United  States  be,  and  he  hereby 
is,  authorized  to  send  out  a  surveying  and  exploring  expedition  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean  and  South  Seas,  and  for  that  purpose  to  em- 
ploy a  sloop-of-war,  and  to  purchase  or  provide  such  other  smaller 
vessels  as  may  be  necessary  and  proper  to  render  the  expedition 
efficient  and  useful,"  &c.,  &c. 

Now  it  is  important  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  committee  on 
naval  affairs  in  the  Senate  drew  up  a  very  able  report,  setting 
forth  the  great  objects  of  the  expedition,  to  which  was  appended 
the  bill  from  whence  the  above  extract  is  made,  as  the  authority 
under  which  the  executive  was  to  act  in  carrying  the  will  of  Con- 
gress into  effect.  When  did  this  bill  become  a  law  ?  At  the 
first  session  of  the  last  Congress.  What  was  the  language  of  the 
report  in  reference  to  this  law  ?  Let  us  see. 

"  The  committee  think  it  ('  the  expedition')  ought  to  consist  of 
two  vessels  of  about  two  hundred  tons  burden  for  exploration, 
one  of  about  one  hundred  tons  as  a  tender,  and  those  accompanied 


366  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

by  a  sloop-of-war  to  afford  protection  and  to  secure  peaceful  and 
friendly  relations  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands. 

"  But  the  committee  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  prescribe  in 
the  law  which  may  be  passed  either  the  dimensions  or  character 
of  the  vessels,  or  the  number  and  qualifications  of  the  persons 
who  shall  be  employed;  nor  can  they  exhibit  by  precise  esti- 
mates the  exact  sum  which  shall  be  expended.  These  are  mat- 
ters which  must,  to  some  extent,  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  the 
executive,  who  will  carry  the  will  of  Congress  into  execution." 

In  this  clear  and  explicit  form  did  the  subject  come  before  the 
executive,  to  whom  a  discretionary  power  was  intentionally  and 
very  properly  granted.  Had  there  been  any  doubt  as  to  the  in- 
tent of  the  law,  the  report  of  the  committee  afforded  an  ample 
interpretation. 

That  report  speaks  of  the  smaller  vessels  for  "  exploration,  and 
a  sloop-of-war  as  protection,  and  to  secure  peaceful  and  friendly 
relations  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands"  but  you  contend, 
indeed,  I  have  heard  you  avow,  that  you  would  not  look  at  the  re- 
ports or  to  memorials  as  setting  forth  the  intentions  of  Congress 
and  the  objects  of  the  expedition. 

You  sometimes,  however,  do  things  which  you  have  previously 
declared  you  would  not  do.  For  the  purposes  of  protection  the 
president  had  authority  to  order  a  frigate  on  what  service  he  chose, 
without  the  sanction  of  this  bill.  Will  you,  or  "  A  Friend  to  the 
Navy,"  have  the  goodness  to  put  into  print  the  statement,  that  the 
president,  when  he  gave  directions  for  the  Macedonian  to  be  pre- 
pared for  the  expedition,  did  so  with  the  view  that  she  should 
only  go  near  the  South  Pole,  and  that  the  protection  and  security  of 
our  commercial  interests  in  the  Pacific  had  nothing  to  do  with 
his  decision.  No  boxing  the  compass,  "  Mr.  Friend  to  the  Navy  ;'* 
come  to  the  point  at  once. 

"But,"  says  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy,"  "it  is  idle  to  suppose  that 
the  plan  of  five  vessels  originated  with  him"  (the  late  president) ; 
"  he,  in  fact,  wanted  no  greater  force  than  would  meet  the  just 
views  of  Congress  and  the  expectations  of  the  public."  Very 
true,  most  wise  and  learned  judge  ;•  and  I  should  like  to  be  informed 
who  ever  desired  a  greater  force  than  would  "  meet  the  just  views 
of  Congress  and  the  expectations  of  the  public  ?"  Here  I  make 
another  point,  and  ask  for  an  explicit  answer. 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  367 

Again  :  does  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy"  wish  to  be  understood  as 
saying  that  the  force  which  the  president  did  sanction  was  too 
large  to  "  meet  the  just  views  of  Congress  ?"  In  replying  to  this 
query  let  there  be  no  evasion.  Answer  ;  did  the  late  executive 
authorize  a  force  too  large  for  the  purposes  of  the  expedition  as 
set  forth  in  the  proceedings  of  Congress  ?  I  wish  to  see  if  "  A 
Friend  to  the  Navy"  will  dare  to  do  directly  what  by  implication 
he  has  already  done,  viz.,  censure  an  official  act  of  the  late  head 
of  the  nation. 

Was  not  Congress  in  session  ?  Had  not  the  president  frequent 
interchanges  of  sentiment  with  the  prominent  friends  of  the  meas- 
ure in  that  body  ?  Was  not  the  subject  of  the  force  proper  to 
be  employed  fairly  discussed  and  fully  considered.  Did  not  the 
executive  hear  the  pros  and  cons  1  Were  not  you  active  at  your 
usual  employment  of  cutting  down  and  finding  fault  ?  Yes,  sir, 
such  was  the  position  of  affairs,  and  the  adoption  of  the  frigate 

was  not  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr. ,  nor  to  gratify  the  pride  of 

Commodore  Jones,  as  has  been  so  often  and  so  invidiously  insin- 
uated, but  for  reasons  now  understood  by  the  whole  community, 
and  previously  sanctioned  by  the  friends  of  the  undertaking  at  the 
close  of  the  first  session  of  the  last  Congress.  The  force  and  or- 
ganization approved  by  the  executive,  including  the  substitution 
of  the  frigate  for  a  sloop-of-war,  were  riot  considered  on  a  scale 
too  extensive  for  carrying  out  "  the  just  views  of  Congress  and 
the  expectations  of  the  public."  If  these  matters  were  not  known 
to  you,  sir,  they  are  no  less  true  on  that  account ;  they  must  be 
fresh  in  the  recollection  of  many  members  to  whom  I*  have  al- 
luded, the  extraordinary  opposition  you  manifested  towards  the 
expedition  being  often  the  theme  of  pleasantry  among  them ! 

Thus  did  the  affair  stand  at  the  termination  of  the  first  session 
of  the  recent  Congress.  Let  us  inquire  how  it  stood  at  the  com- 
mencement, as  well  as  at  the  close,  of  the  last  session  ? 

In  the  exercise  of  that  discretion  alike  belonging  to  his  station 
and  conceded  by  the  law,  the  president  recommended  a  frigate  to 
be  substituted  for  a  sloop-of-war. 

Accordingly,  the  estimates  were  sent  in  for  the  frigate  and  other 
smaller  vessels.  The  question  was  thus  brought  fairly  before 
Congress,  and  was  as  distinctly  understood.  You  laboured  zeal- 
ously to  prevent  the  adoption  of  a  larger  vessel  to  supersede 


368  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

the  sloop-of-war.  On  all  occasions,  both  in  season  and  out  of 
season,  your  voice  was  heard  upon  this  subject,  and  it  was  your 
sedulous  endeavour  to  have  the  estimates  for  the  frigate  stricken 
out,  which  the  president  had  ordered  you  to  present  to  Congress. 
What  was  the  result  ?  Why,  sir,  the  national  legislature  ap- 
proved what  the  executive,  in  the  exercise  of  his  best  judgment, 
had  done  ;  the  frigate  was  provided  for,  and,  by  that  act,  took  the 
place  occupied  by  the  sloop  in  the  law  of  the  preceding  session. 
All  discretionary  power  here  properly  terminated;  precisely  as 
all  executive  discretion  in  the  modification  of  a  treaty  ceases 
when  it  has  been  ratified  by  the  Senate.  I  appeal  not  to  you, 
sir,  but  I  do  appeal  to  every  man  of  intelligence,  if  this  be  not  the 
only  true,  the  only  fair  exposition  of  which  the  case  will  admit. 
What,  then,  can  be  thought  of  all  the  special  pleadings  of  "  A 
Friend  to  the  Navy,"  when  he  claims  for  you  the  right,  by  the 
agency  of  a  naval  board,  to  lay  Vandal  hands  upon  the  frigate  ; 
an  assumption  of  authority  about  as  defensible  as  would  be  the 
cutting  off  of  one  or  all  of  the  smaller  vessels,  because,  forsooth, 
something  about  them  might  not  suit  you ;  when,  the  truth  is, 
nothing  about  this  expedition  ever  did  suit  you  or  ever  will. 

I  am  at  a  loss  to  know,  perhaps  you  can  tell,  what  "  A  Friend 
to  the  Navy"  means  by  stating  that  "  Congress,  in  February  last, 
made  appropriations  under  which  five  ships  might  be  employed 
on  this  expedition,  but  did  not  require  that  so  large  a  force  should 
be  employed,  unless,  agreeably  to  the  act  authorizing  the  measure, 
such  force  should  be  necessary  and  proper  to  render  the  expe- 
dition efficiently  useful."  And  pray,  sir,  where  do  you  find 
this  power  of  limitation  confided  to  the  secretary  of  the  navy  ? 
Whence  is  the  inference,  and  where  the  authority,  sir,  that  Con 
gress  made  an  appropriation  that  might  be  used,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  did  not  require  it  to  be  used.  I  ask  for  the  proof  that  any 
portion  of  this  expedition  has  been  conditionally  sanctioned,  and 
I  know  that  I  ask  in  vain,  notwithstanding  the  boldness  with 
wjiich  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy"  has  hazarded  the  assertion.  Sir, 
you  have  no  authority  for  your  late  efforts  to  break  up  the  expe- 
dition by  reducing  its  force,  and  sophistry  cannot  screen  you  from 
the  public  censure  which  that  act  alone  has  called  down  upon  you. 

Allow  me,  sir,  to  illustrate  this  point  by  what  might  be  deemed 
a  parallel  case,  and  one  in  which  I  think  you  would  adopt  pre- 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  369 

cisely  my  views  with  reference  to  the  point  at  issue.  The  heads 
of  departments  at  Washington  receive,  as  compensation  for  their 
services,  six  thousand  dollars  per  annum  each.  Suppose,  at  the 
commencement  of  the  next  session,  when  the  bill  making  pro- 
vision for  the  civil  list  is  presented,  that  under  the  head  of  "  for 
the  secretary  of  the  navy"  twelve  thousand  dollars  should  be  in- 
serted. The  subject  comes  before  the  house.  Some  member 
inquires,  How  is  this  ?  Here  is  an  appropriation  of  twelve 
thousand  dollars  where  six  thousand  stood  before ;  a  frigate  in 
place  of  a  sloop-of-war ;  I  go  against  that,  Mr.  Speaker.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  is  urged  that,  in  consideration  of  the  "  extraordinary 
efforts"  of  the  secretary  of  the  navy  in  fitting  out  the  expedition, 
and  of  the  extra  and  unpleasant  duties  imposed  upon  him  by  the 
measure,  as  also  to  compensate  him,  in  some  slight  degree,  for 
the  loss  of  official  character  he  has  sustained,  this  additional  re- 
muneration had  been  proposed.  Finally,  the  claim  is  entertained 
and  sanctioned  by  Congress,  though  not  until  some  unsuccessful 
motions  have  been  made  to  strike  out  the  allowance  altogether. 
Now,  under  these  circumstances,  does  any  man  doubt  that  you 
would  be  entitled  to  the  twelve  thousand,  or  could  any  executive 
officer  withhold  the  same  without  violation  of  law  ?  What  would 
be  thought  of  the  United  States  treasurer,  should  he  assemble  a 
board  of  auditors  to  inquire  if  the  appropriation  made  for  the 
honourable  secretary  of  the  navy  could  not  be  reduced  without 
prejudice  to  the  public  service  ? 

1  have  now  done  with  the  law  authorizing  the  expedition,  and 
cheerfully  leave  it  for  the  public  to  decide  whether  I  have  or 
have  not  shown  that,  under  that  authority,  you  can  have  no  legal 
plea  for  your  late  proceedings.  I  have  said  more  on  this  head 
than  I  originally  intended,  because  it  was  evidently  the  point  of 
all  others  upon  which  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy,"  in  his  first  num- 
ber, relied  with  most  confidence  in  making  out  your  defence. 

Perhaps  the  most  curious  part  of  that  defence  is  the  positive 
tone  in  which  it  is  still  denied  that  Congress  or  the  executive  re- 
garded the  expedition  as  a  means  of  protection  to  our  commerce. 
I  have  already  reviewed  this  point  in  my  second  and  third  letters, 
and,  by  the  production  of  evidence  from  memorials,  reports, 
speeches,  &c.,  have  so  completely  removed  every  loop  upon 
which  a  doubt  could  be  hung,  that  nothing  but  an  unaccountable 


370  LETTERS    OF  A    CITIZEN. 

perversity  of  temper  in  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy"  could  have  in- 
duced him  to  reassert  a  proposition  so  absurd.  Where,  sir,  per- 
mit me  to  ask,  are  the  exigences  of  our  commerce  so  urgent  as 
in  the  very  regions  to  be  visited  by  the  expedition ;  in  these  re- 
gions it  requires  protection,  and,  your  disingenuous  pertinacity  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding,  will  receive  it.  Do  you  suppose 
the  president  will  allow  you  to  compromise  the  character  of  the 
country  by  venting  your  personal  spleen  in  your  final  instructions, 
and,  through  them,  directing  the  expedition  to  explore  seas  and 
perform  labours  different  from  those  intended  by  Congress,  by  the 
executive,  and  by  the  nation  ? 

Will  you  learn  nothing  from  experience  1  Have  you  not  even 
yet  suffered  sufficient  defeats  to  teach  you  how  much  you  have 
overrated  your  official  influence,  and  that  the  country  will  not  per- 
mit you  to  trample  upon  its  laws,  or  trust  its  honour  or  its  inter- 
ests entirely  in  your  hands,  while  settling  the  character  of  a  great 
national  enterprise?  Yes,  sir,  your  final  instructions  will,  I  ven- 
ture to  predict,  be  examined  by  the  president  before  you  are  al- 
lowed to  despatch  the  squadron ;  and  such  a  scrutiny  will  be  a 
sufficient  guarantee  that  the  true  purposes  of  the  undertaking  are 
fully  and  fairly  detailed.  I  know  that  you  are  committed  upon 
this  head,  and  perhaps  you  feel  that  the  only  chance  you  have  of 
escape  is  to  brave  it  out.  This  is  wrong.  When  the  plan  of 
denying  to  the  expedition  all  purposes  of  a  commercial  nature 
was  agreed  upon,  the  hope  of  success  was  so  feasible,  that  one  of 
your  ardent  temperament  was  readily  seduced  into  the  measure 
without  being  sufficiently  wary  in  calculating  the  chances  of  dis- 
comfiture. Be  assured,  however,  it  is  now  the  best  policy  to  re- 
treat with  what  grace  you  may,  as  retreat  you  ultimately  must, 
from  such  an  untenable  position  ;  a  position  assumed,  as  you  well 
know,  for  the  sole  intent  of  defeating  the  expedition  before  Con- 
gress. I  have  told  you  the  device  was  appreciated  by  that  body ; 
that  you  were  pitied  for  its  weakness  ;  and  that,  had  it  not  been  for 
your  official  promise,  yet  unfulfilled,  that  you  would  do  your 
duty,  you  had  probably  heard  something  on  this  subject  which, 
for  aught  I  know,  may  still  be  in  store  for  you,  "  nursing  its  wrath 
to  keep  it  warm." 

Suppose  you  obtain  permission  from  the  president  to  send  in  a 
little  message  from  your  department  on  the  first  of  next  month, 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  371 

asking  of  that  honourable  body  to  give  you  a  new  hearing.  Tell 
them  that,  from  the  vast  demand  the  exploring  squadron  will  make 
upon  the  specie ;  the  exposed  condition  in  which  it  will  leave  our 
commerce  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  the  utter  derangement  into 
which  it  will  throw  the  whole  naval  service  of  the  country,  which 
may  go  far  towards  breaking  up  all  our  foreign  naval  stations, 
and  on  numerous  other  grounds,  you  think  you  can  make  one 
more  hard  battle  against  the  "  whole  concern."  I  will  help  you, 
as  far  as  in  me  lies,  to  get  this  new  trial. 

The  column  of  extracts  from  your  reports  republished  by  "  A 
Friend  to  the  Navy"  requires  no  further  notice  from  me.  The 
sections  quoted  have  all  been  examined  in  my  preceding  letters, 
and  the  public  will  judge  between  us. 

A  "  Citizen"  does  not  think  that  the  vessels  of  the  "  squadron 
should  have  been  sent  out  long  since,  fit  or  unfit ;"  but  he-  does 
think  they  should,  and,  with  good  faith  in  the  department,  he  is 
quite  sure  they  might,  have  been  long  since  despatched  to  sea, 
completely  equipped ! 

I  cannot  forbear  to  notice  a  paragraph  at  the  close  of  "  A  Friend 
to  the  Navy's"  first  article.  It  reads  thus  :  "  Now,  although  it  is 
very  pleasant  weather  here  in  June  and  July,  it  is  quite  the  reverse 
at  Cape  Horn ;  it  is  winter  there,  and  the  officers  of  the  navy 
would  prefer  a  different  season  for  doubling  the  cape,  if  a  '  Citizen' 
will  permit  them." 

This  Addisonian  sentence  was  doubtless  intended  as  a  pungent 
or  witty  retort,  I  do  not  know  which,  to  my  remark  that,  had  you 
done  your  duty,  the  expedition,  to  say  the  least,  would  "now  be 
doubling  the  cape,  and  every  one  engaged  in  the  enterprise  full  of 
hopes  of  having  immediate  opportunities  of  fulfilling  their  country's 
expectations."  Truly,  you  pay  a  high  compliment  to  the  nautical 
skill  and  disregard  of  personal  exposure  which  I  had  hitherto 
supposed  a  characteristic  of  the  officers  of  the  navy,  and  which,  I 
presume,  is  characteristic  of  them,  unless  they  have  lost  all  such 
qualities  since  you  have  been  the  official  head  of  the  service. 
You  will  learn,  on  inquiry,  that  the  bugbear  of  doubling  Cape 
Horn  has  passed  away  in  the  minds  of  all  whose  reading  has  come 
down  to  a  later  date  than  the  days  of  Magellan,  Arisen,.  Davies, 
Schoten,  and  Le  Maire,  and  that  this  passage  is  fearlessly  encoun- 
tered by  our  whale  fleet,  on  their  outward  and  homeward  passages, 


372  LETTERS    OP   A    CITIZEN. 

without  stopping  to  consider  what  month  will  bring  them  off  the 
cape.  Numbers  of  our  fellow-citizens  engaged  in  other  occupa- 
tions, and  that,  too,  not  unfrequently,  in  vessels  little  larger  than 
pilot-boats,  make  the  passage  at  all  seasons.  But  these  are  mer- 
chantmen, and  the  "  officers  of  the  navy,"  says  their  judicious 
friend,  "would  prefer  a  different  season  for  doubling  the  cape" 
than  the  terrible  months  of  June  and  July.  It  is  to  be  hoped  they 
will  exhibit  a  due  sense  of  gratitude  to  the  friend  who  kindly 
makes  known  to  the  world  his  endeavours  to  gratify  them  in  so 
commendable  a  preference.  How  you  can  think  of  allowing  offi- 
cers to  go  as  near  as  possible  to  the  South  Pole,  whose  lives  you 
would  not  risk  in  doubling  the  cape  in  winter,  I  have  yet  to  learn. 
In  conclusion,  if  you  have  any  influence  with  "  A  Friend  to  the 
Navy,"  advise  him  to  keep  his  temper,  as  well  as  more  closely  to 
his  text ;  counsel  him  to  be  careful  how  he  wages  a  war  personal 
and  vindictive  with  me.  I  have  thus  far  confined  myself  to  the 
record,  and  the  subject  at  issue  between  us  ;  tell  him  that  whether 
I  am  Mr.  This  or  Mr.  That  is  no  concern  of  his.  I  have  to  do 
with  you  and  with  the  expedition ;  let  him  answer  for  you  as  he 
can,  but  inform  him  that  shrinking  from  the  main  points  of  a  con- 
troversy, and  the  substitution  of  personalities  for  arguments,  are 
ever  the  dernier  resort  of  a  puerile,  malignant,  and  defeated  adver- 
sary. Should  it  ever  be  discovered  that  such  subterfuges  were 
used  by  a  person  high  in  place,  they  will  be  considered  little  to 
his  credit.  People  will  be  apt  to  say  that  the  thick  integuments 
of  his  conscience  had  been  penetrated  ;  that  he  felt  the  sting,  and 
was  writhing  under  the  merited  chastisement  of  *'  Citizen,"  whose 
homethrusts  have  told  exactly  where  he  wished,,  and  the  public 
good  required  that  they  should  tell. 

With  great  respect,  I  have  the  honour  to  be 

Your  most  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

New-Yoik,  August  18, 1837. 


LETTERS    OF    A   FRIEND   TO    THE    NAYY,  373 

DEFENCE  OF  THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  NAVY. 

III. 

. 

HAD  the  "  Citizen"  been  satisfied  \vith  the  Sioop-of-war,  and 
such  smaller  vessels  as  might  be  necessary  for  a  surveying  and 
exploring  expedition,  with  crews  amounting  to  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  such  as  was  intended  by  the  law  of  the  18th  of 
May,  1836,  it  might  have  been  sent  out  before  the  meeting  of 
Congress  in  December  last,  with  such  books  and  instruments 
necessary  for  the  scientific  corps  as  could  be  procured  in  the 
United  States,  and  the  appropriations  would  have  covered  the 
expense ;  but  when  it  was  determined  that  a  frigate  and  a  large 
store-ship,  then  on  the  stocks,  together  with  two  brigs  and  a 
schooner,  not  then  begun,  should  be  employed,  with  crews  amount- 
ing, officers  included,  to  more  than  six  hundred  men,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  another  session  of  Congress  must  elapse  and  further 
appropriations  be  made  before  this  fleet  could  be  sent  to  sea.  Yet 
the  "  Citizen"  is  furious  at  the  delay  which  his  own  plans  have 
created,  and  the  secretary  of  the  navy  is  held  up  to  obloquy  in  the 
public  papers  because  the  expedition  is  not  now  doubling  Cape 
Horn. 

The  "  Citizen,"  in  his  present  state  of  mind,  no  doubt  thinks  that 
everything  should  yield  to  the  expedition;  that  providing  for  the 
Pacific,  the  Brazilian,  and  West  India  stations  was  comparatively 
but  of  little  importance,  and  that  the  small  delay  from  the  passing 
the  act  authorizing  the  expedition  to  the  close  of  the  session  was 
not  to  be  tolerated.  "  May  and  June,"  he  says  to  the  secretary, 
"  passed  away,  and  no  step  had  been  taken  by  you  to  put  in  train 
the  preparations  for  the  expedition.  You  now  began  to  speak 
plainly,  and  to  hold  the  language  that  twelve  month?  would  be 
necessary  to  complete  the  outfit." 

The  act  authorizing  the  expedition  became  a  law  on  the  18th 
of  May,  not  on  the  10th,  as  frequently  asserted  by  the  "  Citizen." 
It  authorized  the  president,  not  the  secretary,  to  fit  out  the  expe- 
dition. The  secretary's  authority  did  not  commence  until  in- 
structed by  the  president.. 

Ii 


374          ..ETTERS  OF  A  FRIEND  TO  THE  NAVY. 

As  the  attention  of  the  president  was  incessantly  called  to  sub- 
jects of  great  importance,  pressed  upon  him  at  the  close  of  a 
most  arduous  session  of  Congress,  the  exploring  expedition  was 
suffered  to  rest  for  a  few  days. 

Soon  after  the  middle  of  June  the  secretary  was  instructed  to 
write  to  the  officer  selected  as  commander  of  the  expedition. 
This  was  done  without  delay  ;  some  days  were  spent  before  the 
necessary  consultations  with  this  officer  could  be  had  as  to  the 
vessels  to  be  employed ;  whether  a  sloop-of-war  as  a  flag-ship  and 
smaller  vessels,  or  whether  a  frigate,  a  store-ship,  two  brigs,  and 
a  schooner ;  whether  ships  should  be  repaired,  purchased,  or 
built  for  the  purpose ;  all  these  points  required  and  received  a  few 
days'  consideration. 

The  secretary,  as  soon  as  he  was  authorized  to  do  so,  gave 
orders  for  preparing  the  ships  and  for  recruiting  the  seamen.  On 
the  6th  of  July  he  gave  orders  that  the  frigate  Macedonian  should 
be  completed  without  delay,  and  on  the  7th,  llth,  and  20th  of 
that  month  orders  were  given  for  preparing  to  build  the  brigs 
Pioneer  and  Consort,  and  schooner  Pilot;  with  the  least  practica- 
ble delay.  The  completion  of  the  store-ship  Relief  had  been 
previously  ordered. 

The  recruiting  for  this  service  was  put  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  Commodore  Jones,  and  Lieutenants  Tatnall,  R.  R.  Pink- 
ham,  Purviance,  and  H.  W.  Morris  were  ordered  to  report  to  him 
fpr  duty  in  this  recruiting  service  as  soon  as  he  required  them; 
and  others  were  subsequently  ordered  at  his  request  for  the  same 
service. 

An  agent,  Lieutenant  Wilkes,  was  selected  without  delay  to  go 
to  Europe  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  such  instruments  and 
books  necessary  for  the  expedition  as  could  not  conveniently  be 
procured  in  the  United  States.  A  few  days'  preparation  was  in 
dispensably  necessary  in  this  case ;  but  Lieutenant  Wilkes  em- 
barked at  New- York  for  Liverpool  on  the  8th  of  August. 

In  all  this  the  "  Citizen"  can  see  nothing  but  insufferable  delay, 
for  which  he  holds  the  secretary  responsible.  His  perceptions 
have  become  confused  by  the  monomania  under  which  he  has  la- 
boured for  the  last  twelve  years,  which  impels  him  with  irresisti- 
ble  force  to  the  south,  to  carry  into  effect  his  schemes  of  circling 
the  globe  within  the  antarctic  circle ;  casting  anchor  on  the  point 


LETTERS   OP   A   FRIEND  TO   THE   NAVY  375 

where  all  tne  meridians  terminate ;  fastening  the  star-spangled 
banner  to  the  pole  of  the  earth  itself;  and  many  other  vagaries 
too  tedious  to  mention. 

In  these  preparations  none,  upon  a  full  knowledge  of  the  case, 
except  the  "  Citizen,"  and  a  few  others  who  have  been  bitten  by 
him,  can  see  any  cause  for  throwing  censure  upon  the  secretary. 
These  preparations  required  extraordinary  exertions,  not  on  the 
part  of  the  secretary,  for  no  more  was  required  of  him  than  giv- 
ing the  necessary  orders,  but  of  the  officers  under  whom  the 
ships  were  to  be  prepared  and  the  men  recruited ;  and  particu- 
larly of  the  commander  of  the  expedition,  under  whose  superin- 
tendence the  whole  was  placed  ;  and,  it  is  believed,  the  "  Citizen" 
will  not  accuse  that  officer  of  any  want  of  zeal  or  diligence  in  the 
performance  of  any  duty  assigned  him. 

It,  however,  suited  the  purpose  of  the  "  Citizen"  that  these  ex 
traordinary  exertions,  which  had  not  been  attended  with  all  the  anti- 
cipated success,  should  be  considered  as  the  extraordinary  exertions 
of  the  secretary  of  the  navy.  In  his  fifth  number  he  says  to  the 
secretary,  "Thus  you  tell  him  (the  president),  that  inasmuch  as  it 
was  his  earnest  wish  that  the  intentions  of  Congress  in  authorizing 
the  measure  should  be  carried  into  effect  with  the  least  possible 
delay,  you  had  not  only  resolved  to  clothe  Commodore  Jones  with 
unusual  powers,  and  to  grant  him  every  facility  for  the  purpose  of 
shipping  crews,  but  that  you  had  yourself  determined  to  make  an 
extraordinary  effort  to  accomplish  that  object."  The  words,  that 
you  had  yourself ,  are  a  fabrication,  and  are  not  in  the  report  which 
he  pretends  to  quote  ;  and  this  fabrication  serves  as  the  basis  of  a 
series  of  misrepresentations  about  extraordinary  efforts. 

The  language  of  the  report  to  the  president  is,  "  As,  however,  it 
was  your  earnest  wish  that  the  intentions  of  Congress  in  autho- 
rizing the  measure  should  be  carried  into  effect  wkh  the  least  pos- 
sible delay,  and  that  the  expedition  should  be  fitted  out  upon  the 
extensive  and  liberal  scale  which  the  indications  of  public  opinion 
seemed  to  require ;  and  as  the  officer,  Captain  Thomas  Ap.  Cate,s- 
by  Jones,  selected  for  the  command  of  the  expedition,  gave  assu- 
rances that  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  seamen  could  be  obviated 
by  giving  him  power  to  have  them  recruited  under  his  immediate 
superintendence,  and  for  this  particular  service  it  was  determined 
to  make  an  extraordinary  effort  to  accomplish  these  objects? 


376         LETTERS  OF  A  FRIEND  TO  THE  NAVY. 

It  was  unusual  to  put  the  recruiting  service  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  a  commander  of  a  squadron ;  it  is  unusual  to  recruit 
seamen  for  a  particular  service ;  yet  both  are  done  on  extraordi- 
nary occasions,  and  the  president,  in  fact,  determined  and  directed 
that  it  should  be  done  in  this  case.  The  secretary  gave  the  ne- 
cessary orders.  The  extraordinary  duties  were  to  be  performed 
by  others,  not  by  the  secretary.  He  does  not  recruit  or  superin- 
tend the  recruiting  of  seamen. 

The  "  Citizen,"  who  seems  disposed  to  regulate  the  whole  police 
of  the  navy  department,  complains  that  money  for  advances  was 
withheld  from  the  assistant  recruiting  officers,  without  which  ad- 
vances seamen  cannot  be  induced  to  ship  either  in  merchant  or 
naval  service. 

Sufficient  funds  were  in  the  hands  of  the  officers  at  the  head  of 
the  respective  recruiting  rendezvous,  and  the  usual  advances  were 
made  to  the  seamen  presenting  themselves  at  the  receiving  ships. 
To  open  accounts  with  all  the  assistant  recruiting  officers  was 
unnecessary,  and  would  have  been  attended  with  great  inconve- 
nience. It  was  not  done  for  Commodore  Ballard ;  it  was  not  done 
for  Commodore  Nicholson ;  it  will  not  be  done  to  please  the  "  Cit- 
izen." The  idea  of  making  advances  to  seamen  to  enable  them  to 
go  to  the  receiving  ship  is  new.  Few  of  them,  with  such  advan- 
ces, would  find  their  way  to  the  right  ships.  Recruiting  officers 
know  that,  after  advances  are  made  to  seamen,  they  must  be  guard- 
ed with  great  care,  or  they  desert. 

The  "  Citizen"  relates  the  case  of  an  officer  in  the  District  of  Co- 
lumbia, who  had  obtained  a  thousand  dollars  upon  his  requisition, 
approved  by  the  commander  of  the  exploring  squadron,  which  sum 
he  was  forthwith  ordered  by  the  navy  department  to  return  to  the 
treasury. 

In  May  last,  when  there  was  no  longer  any  serious  difficulty 
apprehended  in  recruiting  seamen  for  the  expedition,  an  officer  at- 
tempted to  establish  a  recruiting  station  in  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia, and  obtained  from  the  navy  agent  at  Washington  one  thousand 
dollars  without  the  consent  of  the  head  of  the  department.  It  is 
true,  his  requisition  for  this  sum  was  approved  by  the  officer  com- 
manding the  expedition,  who  had  good  reason  to  believe  the  meas- 
ure had  been  sanctioned  by  the  secretary  of  the  navy ;  otherwise 
the  requisition  would  not  have  been  approved.  The  transaction 


LETTERS    OF  A   FRIEND   TO    THE    NAVY,  377 

was  irregular,  and  he  was  very  properly  ordered  to  restore  the 
money.  In  which  case  no  appeal  lies  to  the  "  Citizen  ;*  and  if  the 
officer  has  sent  his  report  of  this  case  to  the  "  Citizen,"  he  has 
probably  made  a  mistake  in  the  direction. 

The  finishing  of  the  frigate  Macedonian  and  store-ship  Relief, 
and  the  building  of  the  two  brigs  and  schooner,  required  extraor- 
dinary exertions  on  the  part  of  the  officers  to  whom  these  duties 
were  assigned,  and  for  the  performance  of  which  they  are  entitled 
to  much  credit ;  yet  all  this  does  not  satisfy  the  "  Citizen,"  and 
in  his  No.  V.  he  asserts  that  the  Macedonian  was  not  completed 
and  in  a  condition  to  receive  her  complement  of  men  until  June  of 
this  year.  It  is  believed  the  "  Citizen"  is  somewhat  incorrect ; 
but  if  what  he  states  is  true,  is  it  the  fault  of  the  secretary  ?  The 
expedition  could  not  be  sent  out  upon  the  proposed  plan  without 
the  frigate ;  it  was  therefore  impossible  that  the  squadron  should 
be  now  doubling  Cape  Horn. 

In  March  last,  and  before  the  Macedonian  was  finished,  as  the 
"  Citizen"  says,  it  was  discovered,  from  the  sailing  of  the  Pioneer, 
that  she  was  not  fit  for  service  in  this  expedition ;  and  the  Con- 
sort and  Pilot  were  believed  to  be  in  a  still  worse  condition.  Until 
the  necessary  alterations  shall  be  made  in  these  vessels  they  can- 
not be  sent  out  as  a  part  of  this  exploring  squadron  ;  so  that,  in 
fact,  there  has  been  no  time  at  which  this  squadron  could  have 
been  sent  to  sea,  even  if  there  had  been  no  difficulty  as  to  recruit- 
ing seamen.  In  this  no  delay  was  feared  after  the  time  that  the 
vessel  could  be  prepared ;  and  the  secretary,  in  his  report  to  the 
president  of  the  6th  of  February  last,  says,  "  the  difficulties  which 
have  retarded  the  recruiting  for  this  service  are  nearly  obviated ; 
and  it  is  confidently  hoped  that  in  a  short  time  there  will  be  suf- 
ficient numbers  recruited  to  complete  the  crews  of  all  the  vessels 
of  the  squadron." 

The  "  Citizen"  very  unnecessarily  works  himself  into  a  fury 
about  the  Macedonian ;  in  his  same  number  five  he  says  to  the  sec- 
retary, "  In  speaking  of  the  vessels,  you  proceed  to  tell  the  presi- 
dent that '  the  frigate  and  store-ship  which  were  on  the  stocks  when 
this  measure  was  authorized  have  been  finished  and  equipped,  and 
are  now  receiving  their  crews.*  What  unaccountable  hallucination 
could  have  possessed  your  mind  when  you  wrote  this  sentence,? 
DM  xrrvn  ^  the  first  draught  of  your  report,  put  down  what  ought 


378         LETTERS  OF  A  FRIEND  TO  THE  NAVY. 

to  have  been  the  condition  of  those  vessels,  and  afterward  forget 
to  alter  it  ?  How  else  could  you  venture  to  tell  the  president,  and, 
through  him,  Congress  and  the  whole  country,  that  the  frigate  was 
finished  and  equipped,  and  was  receiving  her  men,  when  the  fact 
was,  that  the  frigate,  at  that  time,  was  not  finished,  not  equipped, 
nor  was  she  receiving  her  crew  ;  so  far  from  it,  she  had  not  a 
bulkhead  up  or  a  yarn  over  the  masthead ;  and  it  was  not  until 
June,  six  months  after  this  official  statement,  that  she  was  com- 
pleted, and  in  a  condition  to  receive  her  complement  of  men  !  !  /" 

One  would  suppose,  from  this  flourish  and  bluster,  that  some 
terrible  deception  had  been  practised  upon  the  world. 

Commodore  Warrington  reported  to  the  secretary  that  the  Ma- 
cedonian was  launched  on  the  1st  of  November.  As  this  was  the 
flag-ship  of  the  squadron,  Captain  Jones  was  ordered  on  the  fifth  of 
that  month  to  report  to  Commodore  Warrington  for  duty,  as  com- 
mander of  this  squadron.  He  had  before  reported  on  the  3d  of 
October,  that,  up  to  the  26th  of  September,  one  hundred  arid  nine 
able  seamen,  ordinary  seamen,  and  boys,  had  been  recruited  for 
the  exploring  expedition  ;  and  that  Captain  Armstrong  stated  that, 
as  the  service  was  popular,  he  looked  for  much  better  success. 
There  was  no  doubt  of  the  zeal  of  Captain  Jones  in  putting  his 
flag-ship  in  a  condition  to  receive  her  crew.  One  month  after  this 
time,  when  the  secretary  made  his  report,  he  was  justified  in  be- 
lieving that  the  Macedonian,  as  well  as  the  Relief,  were  so  far 
finished  and  equipped  as  to  be  receiving  their  crews,  and  so  stated 
in  his  report  to  the  president  of  the  3d  of  December.  It  seems 
the  Relief  was  so  far  finished  as  to  be  receiving  her  crew,  but 
that  the  frigate  was  not.  Commodore  Jones,  on  receiving  this  re- 
port, would  have  stated  the  error  had  he  deemed  it  of  immediate 
importance,  and  on  the  31st  of  January  he  reported  to  the  secre- 
tary that  the  Macedonian  was  launched  in  October  from  the 
Navy  Yard  at  Gosport ;  that,  from  the  latest  information,  she  is 
not  yet  ready  to  receive  her  crew,  though  she  probably  will  be  by 
the  time  the  scientific  corps  can  be  ready  to  embark,  and  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  men  obtained,  for  which  prospects  are  becoming 
more  favourable.  This  information  was  communicated  to  the 
president,  and,  through  him,  to  Congress  and  the  whole  country. 

This  differs,  however,  very  much  from  the  statement  of  the 
"  Citizen,"  that  the  frigate  was  not  in  a  situation  to  receive  her 


LETTERS    OF   A    FRIEND    TO    THE    NAVY.  379 

complement  of  men  until  the  month  of  June.  Perhaps  some  unac- 
countable hallucination  has  possessed  the  mind  of  the  commodore. 

The  "  Citizen,"  in  continuance,  says  to  the  secretary,  "  The  pres- 
ident is  further  informed  that  you  had  not  yet  attempted  to  organ- 
ize the  scientific  corps  for  the  expedition,  but  you  intimate  that 
this  duty  may  be  performed  as  soon  as  accommodations  can  be 
afforded  them  in  the  vessels.  Strange  incongruity  this  !  In  the 
first  place,  the  vessels  are  finished,  and  receiving  their  crews  ;  in 
the  next  you  tell  us  that  the  organization  of  the  corps  is  delayed 
until  the  vessels  are  finished  and  ready  to  receive  them"  The 
last  sentence  is  a  pitiful  fabrication  of  the  "  Citizen,"  and  is  not  to 
be  found  in  the  secretary's  report.  The  language  of  the  secretary 
is,  "  the  scientific  corps  maybe  organized  as  soon  as  accommoda- 
tions can  be  afforded  them  in  the  vessels  of  the  exploring  squad- 
ron." 

The  accommodations  for  the  scientific  corps  will  be  something 
different  from  the  mere  finishing  the  vessels  so  as  to  receive  their 
crews.  The  Independence  was  finished,  and  her  crew  on  board, 
before  the  accommodations  for  Mr.  Dallas  and  his  family  were  pre- 
pared. But  it  is  disgusting  to  pursue  farther  these  pitiful  mis- 
representations. 

The  "  Citizen"  in  No.  II.  vents  some  terrible  threats,  which 
have  not  yet  been  carried  into  execution.  He  says  to  the  secre- 
tary, "  Permit  me  to  call  your  attention  to  the  very  last  paragraph 
in  the  able  report  to  which  I  have  alluded"  (a  report  from  the  com- 
mittee of  commerce) ;  "  it  is  much  to  the  point,  and  you  may  draw 
instruction  from  it.  Yea,  more,  it  will  furnish  you  with  an  argu- 
ment to  refute  the  contemptible  fabrication  of  the  weak  marplot- 
ting  enemies  of  this  truly  national  enterprise,  who,  in  the  face  of 
two  hundred  pages  of  printed  documents,  have  had  the  effrontery 
to  say  the  expedition  would  have  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  the 
protection  of  commerce  in  the  regions  to  be  examined.  I  will 
give  the  authors  of  this  device  a  withering  review  before  I  have 
done.  Let  them  prepare  for  it.  I  know  them,  and  may  feel  it  my 
duty  to  drag  them  from  their  dark  retreats,  perfectly  regardless 
who  may  be  found  in  their  company,  or  what  aspect  they  may 
wear  when  exposed  to  the  fair  face  of  day."  Who  these  miscre- 
ants are  I  cannot  imagine,  and  the  <4  Citizen"  does  not  think  proper 
to  inform  us.  Perhaps  he  means  the  members  of  Congress  who 


380  LETTERS    OF   A   FRIEND    TO    THE    NAVY. 

passed  the  act  of  the  18th  May,  1836,  expressly  limiting  the  ex- 
ploring expedition  to  a  sloop-of-war  and  smaller  vessels,  and  its 
objects  to  those  of  surveying  and  exploring.  This  body  is  prob- 
ably the  only  one  who  have  acted  in  the  face  of  two  hundred 
pages  of  printed  documents,  or  ever  read  them.  Two  hundred 
pages  of  printed  documents  !  They  must  have  amounted  to  the 
size  of  a  cheese  !  The  audacious  wretches  !  The  "  Citizen"  in 
mercy  gives  them  notice  to  prepare  for  a  withering. 

It  is  probable  that  these  two  hundred  pages  of  printed  docu- 
ments were  composed,  in  part,  of  the  report  of  the  "  Citizen"  himself 
of  the  29th  of  September,  1828,  describing  certain  islands,  reefs, 
and  shoals  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  &c.  If  so,  I  have  something  to 
say  respecting  these  two  hundred  pages  of  printed  documents, 
which  ought  to  be  considered  in  extenuation  of  the  offence  of  those 
who  have  excited  the  wrath  of  the  "  Citizen."  This  report,  if  it  is 
to  form  the  guide  for  the  movements  of  the  exploring  squadron  in 
the  Pacific,  will  as  certainly  involve  them  in  trouble  as  they 
double  Cape  Horn. 

If  the  "  Citizen"  shall  be  the  Palenurus  of  the  squadron,  with 
his  report  for  his  guide,  he  will  swamp  the  whole  concern,  and 
will  never  cast  anchor  at  the  point  where  all  the  meridians  ter- 
minate, nor  leave  the  star-spangled  banner  to  wave  on  the  axis  of 
the  earth  itself. 

In  1828,  soon  after  this  report  was  made,  a  copy  of  it  was  sent 
to  the  vice  admiral.  Kruzenstern,  of  St.  Petersburg,  a  distin- 
guished navigator,  illustrious  for  his  voyage  round  the  world,  see- 
ing it  had  received  the  notice  of  the  American  Congress,  he 
thought,  no  doubt,  he  had  gained  a  treasure  of  reefs,  rocks,  and 
islands,  of  which  he  commenced  the  examination.  He  soon  dis- 
covered that  the  information  which  the  writer  had  received  from 
the  whalers,  and  which  he  had  reported  in  his  memoir,  was  not  of 
a  nature  to  inspire  any  great  confidence.  That  in  his  memoir  we 
see  islands  bearing  the  same  name,  but  differing  many  degrees  in 
longitude  ;  and  many  others  indicated  under  the  same  latitude  and 
longitude  which  certainly  were  but  one  and  the  same  island  ;  that 
we  find  in  it  descriptions  of  islands  so  circumstantially  detailed, 
that  one  can  hardly  call  in  question  their  existence,  but  of  which 
the  nonexistence  could  be  equally  well  proved,  and  with  the  same 
semblance  of  truth.  And  speaking  of  another  collection  of  a  like 


LETTERS  OF    A    FRIEND    TO    THE    NAVY.  381 

character,  he  says  that  it  resembles  that  of  the  author  in  this,  that 
it  is  but  a  mass  of  names  placed  without  the  least  discrimination  j 
"  que  ce  fCest  qtfun  amas  de  nommes  places  sans  la  moindre  cri- 
tique." 

This  is  given  in  the  advertisement  to  his  "  SuppUmens  au  Re- 
cueil  de  Mtmoires  Hydrographiques"  printed  at  St.  Petersburg, 
1835,  pages  v.  and  vi.,  a  part  of  which  I  will  quote  in  the  admi- 
ral's language :  "  Dans  le  temps  ou  le  gouvernement  Americain  se 
disposait  a  preparer  une  expedition  pour  explorer  1'Ocean  Paci- 
fique,  Mr.  Reynolds,  qui  devait  etre  le  chef  de  la  partie  scienti- 
fique  de  cette  expedition,  presenta  au  secretaire  de  la  marine,  Mr. 
Southard,  un  memoire  dont  on  m'a  communique  une  copie,  et 
dans  lequel  il  rend  compte  des  resultats  des  recherches  qu'il  avait 
faites  dans  les  differens  ports  des  Etats  Unis  au  sujet  des  decou- 
vertes  des  baleiniers  Americains.  Les  informations  qu'il  avait 
reques  de  ces  baleiniers,  et  qu'il  rapport  dans  son  memoire,  ne 
sont  cependant  pas  de  nature  k  pouvoir  inspirer  une  grande  con- 
fiance.  On  y  voit  des  iles  portant  le  meme  nom,  et  differant  de 
plusieurs  degres  en  longitude ;  il  en  est  plusieurs  autres,  indi- 
quees  sous  les  memes  latitude  et  longitude,  qui  ne  doivent  etre 
certainement  qu'ure  meme  ile.  On  y  trouve  des  descriptions  d'iles 
si  detaillees,  qu'il  semblerait  qu'on  ne  peut  guere  revoquer  en 
doute  leur  existence,  mars  dont  la  nonexistence  peut  etre  egale- 
ment  demon  tree  avec  autant  de  vraisemblance,"  &c. 

The  admiral  heard  no  more  of  the  writer,  except  that,  in  1 829 
and  1830,  two  brigs,  the  Seraph  and  Annawan,  were  sent  out 
under  Captains  Pendleton  and  Palmer,  and  that  Mr.  Reynolds 
and  Mr.  Watson  accompanied  them,  en  qualite  de  savans. 

As  to  the  character  of  the  "Citizen"  as  a  navigator  in  1828, 
when  he  attempted,  by  his  report,  to  enlighten  the  nautical  world, 
the  amount  is  soon  told.  He  was  a  sailor  by  inspiration,  and  his 
voyages  had  been  chiefly  made  on  dry  land.  How  he  became  a 
savant  remains  yet  to  be  discovered. 

Thus  has  this  industrious  "  Citizen"  contrived  not  only  to  make 
himself  ridiculous  in  the  eyes  of  all  who  may  read  these  observa- 
tions of  Admiral  Kruzenstern,  but  to  throw  some  degree  of  ridi- 
cule upon  the  present  exploring  expedition. 

To  divert  this  ridicule  from  the  officers  of  the  navy  who  may 
embark  in  this  expedition,  and  to  confine  it  to  its  proper  source, 


382  LETTERS    OF    A   FRIEND    TO   THE    NAVY. 

and  to  show  that  the  scientific  corps  selected  are  not  of  the  school 
of  the  savant  in  question,  shall  be  the  peculiar  care  of 

A  FRIEND  TO  THE  NAVY. 

August  10,  1837. 


IV. 

Among  the  gross  misrepresentations  on  the  part  of  the  "  Citi- 
zen," published  in  the  Times,  none  is  more  frequently  repeated 
or  pertinaciously  adhered  to  than  this,  that  the  secretary  of  the 
navy  considers  the  great  object  of  the  South  Sea  exploring  expe- 
dition to  be  an  approach  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the  South  Pole. 
This,  after  being  stated  in  a  variety  of  ways,  is  repeated  for  the 
last  time  in  his  No.  VI.  in  these  words :  "  Like  your  statement 
that  to  approach  as  near  as  possible  to  the  South  Pole  was  the 
object  of  the  enterprise,  it  is,  to  say  the  least,  an  evasion  of  the 
true  purposes  designed  to  be  accomplished."  And  then  he  ex- 
claims, "  If  the  great  objects  of  the  expedition  be  to  go  as  near 
as  practicable  to  the  South  Pole,  for  what  purpose  do  you  send  a 
botanist  to  that  region  where  no  vegetation  exists  ?  Why  do  you 
incur  the  expense  of  sending  a  philologist  to  attend  to  the  interest- 
ing department  of  language  where  there  are  no  inhabitants  ?"  &c. 

Now  all  this  going  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the  South  Pole  is 
the  work  of  the  "  Citizen's"  own  imagination.  The  language  of 
the  secretary  in  his  report  laid  before  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives is,  w  The  great  objects  of  this  expedition,  as  understood  by 
this  department  are  to  explore  the  seas  of  the  southern  hemi- 
sphere, more  particularly  in  high  latitudes  and  in  regions  as  near 
the  pole  as  may  be  approached  without  danger"  &c. 

To  approach  the  pole  as  nearly  as  practicable,  or  possible, 
would  be  to  encounter  much  danger ;  but  it  is  distinctly  to  be  un- 
derstood, from  the  language  of  the  secretary,  that  it  was  not  ex- 
pected that  such  danger  should  be  incurred  ;  and,  of  course,  it 
could  not  be  expected  that  the  expedition  should  approach  as 
nearly  as  possible  or  practicable  to  the  South  Pole ;  nor,  indeed, 
make  any  nearer  approach  to  it  than  could  be  accomplished  with- 
out danger. 

The  language  of  the  secretary  was  calculated  to  remove  the 


LETTERS    OF    A   FRIEND  TO    THE    NAVY.  383 

apprehensions  of  those  who  might  embark  in  this  expedition,  that 
their  lives  were  to  be  unnecessarily  exposed  among  icebergs  near 
the  pole  for  the  purpose  of  testing  certain  wild  theories  that  had 
long  been  before  the  public.  It  was  an  assurance  to  them  that 
they  should  not  be  carried  within  the  verge  of  that  great  opening 
of  sixteen  degrees  around  the  pole  leading  to  a  concave  and  hab- 
itable world,  according  to  the  "  Citizen's"  former  theory  as  exhib- 
ited in  his  lectures  ;  nor  required  to  do  what  the  "  Citizen,"  in  his 
late  address,  considers  as  quite  practicable,  viz.,  to  "circle  the 
globe  within  the  antarctic  circle,  and  attain  the  pole  itself ;  yea,  to 
cast  anchor  on  that  point  where  all  the  meridians  terminate ;  where 
our  eagle  and  star-spangled  banner  may  be  unfurled  and  planted, 
and  left  to  wave  on  the  axis  of  the  earth  itself !  where,  amid  the 
novelty,  grandeur,  and  sublimity  of  the  scene,  the  vessels,  instead 
of  sweeping  a  vast  circuit  by  the  diurnal  movements  of  the  earth, 
would  simply  turn  round  once  in  twenty-four  hours  !"  - 

In  a  letter  of  a  former  secretary  of  the  navy,  of  the  29th  of 
January,  1829,  to  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  naval  affairs, 
to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  respecting  the  objects  of  the 
South  Sea  exploring  expedition,  proposed  at  that  time,  it  is  stated 
"  that  the  examinations  of  both  known  and  unknown  islands,  &c., 
will  be,  in  part,  in  high  southern  latitudes,  and  the  instructions 
would  naturally  and  necessarily  be  to  find  and  describe  all  which 
exist  there ;  and  as  far  to  the  south  as  circumstances  would  per- 
mit them  safely  and  prudently  to  go ;"  so  that  the  views  of  the 
former  and  present  secretary  are  much  alike  as  to  the  regions  in 
high  southern  latitudes  to  be  visited  by  a  South  Sea  exploring 
expedition.  Whether  they  approach  the  South  Pole  as  nearly  as 
may  be  without  danger,  or  advance  as  far  to  the  south  as  circum- 
stances would  permit  them  safely  and  prudently  to  go,  must  be 
nearly  one  and  the  same  thing. 

And  does  the  "  Citizen"  intend  that  the  object  of  visiting  high 
southern  latitudes,  such  as  can  be  approached  without  danger, 
shall  be  abandoned  ?  Does  he  think  that  such  purpose  cannot  be 
entertained,  because  we  send  out  a  botanist  to  regions  where  no 
vegetation  exists,  and  a  philologist  where  there  are  no  inhabitants  ? 

After  the  great  preparations  that  have  been  made  for  exploring 
the  South  Seas  with  vessels  as  strong  as  wood  and  iron  can  make 
them,  constructed  for  the  express  purpose  of  making  their  way 


384  LETTERS    OF   A    FRIEND   TO    THE    NAVY. 

through  fields  of  ice,  and  more  fit  for  that  than  anything  else,  the 
public  will  expect  something  more  than  has  been  accomplished 
by  any  other  exploring  expedition  ;  more  particularly  as  the  "  Cit- 
izen" himself,  in  his  famous  address,  page  97,  gives  it  as  his  delib- 
erate opinion  "  that  the  ninetieth  degree,  or  the  South  Pole,  may 
be  reached  by  the  navigator,"  unless  intercepted  by  land.  The 
public  will  expect  that  high  southern  and  unexplored  regions  will 
be  examined  by  our  exploring  squadron  ;  and  if  they  return  with- 
out making  a  nearer  approach  to  the  Pole  than  any  other  explo- 
ring expedition  has  credit  for,  be  assured  that  no  small  degree  of 
disappointment  and  mortification  will  be  manifested  by  those  who 
have  to  pay  the  expense  of  this  enterprise. 

Although  it  is  particularly  desirable  to  extend  our  researches 
into  high  southern  latitudes,  yet  but  a  very  small  portion  of  time 
can  be  devoted  exclusively  to  this  purpose.  While  the  expedi- 
tion is  out,  there  will  probably  be  but  two  seasons,  and  those 
short  ones,  when  these  high  latitudes  can  be  reached  without  dan- 
ger ;  but  those  seasons  must  be  improved  to  the  greatest  advan- 
tage, or  one  of  the  most  interesting  objects  of  the  expedition  will 
be  lost.  Five  sixths  of  the  time  of  the  cruise  the  squadron  will 
be  in  lower  latitudes  and  milder  climates,  making  surveys  and  ex- 
plorations ;  discovering  islands,  rocks,  reefs,  and  shoals  ;  ascertain- 
ing latitudes  and  longitudes ;  affording  aid  and  protection  to  our 
merchants  and  whalers  ;  rescuing  wrecked  mariners,  and  perform- 
ing a  variety  of  other  duties  not  interfering  with  the  legitimate 
and  proper  objects  of  a  surveying  and  exploring  expedition.  But 
the  results  of  the  examinations  in  high  latitudes,  in  this  one  sixth 
of  the  time,  will  be  looked  to  with  more  intense  interest  than  any 
others  of  the  whole  cruise. 

The  "  Citizen"  is  now  endeavouring  to  divert  the  attention  of 
the  public  from  these  examinations  in  high  southern  latitudes,  be- 
cause he  knows  not  what  to  do  there  with  a  frigate  of  thirteen 
hundred  tons  burden  and  drawing  twenty  feet  water.  He  will  be 
equally  perplexed  to  know  what  to  do  with  her  among  the  shoals 
and  coral  reefs  of  the  South  Sea  Islands.  But,  by  way  of  obvi- 
ating difficulties,  he  has  determined  to  convert  this  surveying  and 
exploring  expedition  into  an  expedition  for  the  protection  of  com- 
merce ;  the  objects  of  surveying  and  exploring  being  considered 
by  him  as  of  secondary  importance.  In  this  he  will  fail. 


LETTERS    OF   A    FRIEND   TO    THE    NAVY,  385 

In  the  first  place,  Congress  have  made  this  a  surveying  and  ex- 
ploring expedition,  and  not  one  for  the  protection  of  commerce. 
The  armament  and  equipment  of  the  vessels  prepared  are  en- 
tirely different  from  the  armament  and  equipment  of  vessels  sent 
out  for  the  protection  of  commerce.  The  character  of  the  expe- 
dition is  peaceful.  The  vessels  will  be  prepared  to  defend  them- 
selves, and  the  vessels  and  property  of  merchants  and  whalers, 
against  the  pirates  and  natives  of  the  regions  they  may  visit,  but 
not  to  attack  armed  vessels  of  any  maritime  power  with  which 
we  may  be  at  war. 

In  this  enlightened  age,  it  is  understood  that  exploring  expedi- 
tions are  exempt  from  the  laws  of  war,  and  our  vessels  engaged 
in  this  expedition  will  not  be  subject  to  capture. 

What  can  be  wanted  of  a  scientific  corps  on  an  expedition  for 
the  protection  of  commerce  ?  Nothing  can  be  more  incongruous 
than  the  slow,  patient,  and  persevering  labours  of  an  exploring 
party,  and  the  rapid  movements  required  for  the  protection  of 
commerce.  Such  vessels  as  are  built  for  this  expedition  would 
never  leave  our  ports  for  the  protection  of  commerce. 

But  if  the  "  Citizen"  shall  succeed  in  changing  the  character 
of  this  expedition  from  peaceful  to  warlike,  he  will  still  be  per- 
plexed with  difficulties.  Suppose,  in  clearing  the  decks  of  one  of 
the  vessels,  the  frigate,  for  instance,  for  action,  what  a  scene  of 
confusion — skeletons  and  bones  of  animals  of  all  kinds,  testa- 
ceous, crustaceous,  vertebraled,  and  invertebrated  ;  heaps  of  mol- 
luscous treasures ;  alligators  stuffed,  "  and  other  skins  of  ill- 
shaped  fishes,"  must  all,  all  be  tumbled  into  the  ocean  without 
reserve,  " rari  natantes  in  gurgite  vasto" 

The  "  Citizen"  had  much  better  permit  this  expedition  to  re- 
main, what  it  was  intended  to  be  from  the  beginning,  a  peacerui 
surveying  and  exploring  expedition. 

But  he  has  discovered  one  important  purpose  for  sending  out 
a  frigate  which  has  not  been  sufficiently  noticed.  It  is  nothing 
less  than  this,  that  a  salutary  effect  may  be  produced  upon  the 
fears  of  the  islanders  to  be  visited ;  and,  as  he  says,  "  the  natives 
awed  into  respect  by  a  judicious  display  of  our  power."  And 
then  he  relates  the  story  of  Lord  Byron  with  the  frigate  Blonde 
at  the  Sandwich  Islands  in  1824,  and  what  was  the  effect  prp- 
duced  on  the  minds  of  the  savages  by  the  presence  of  thaj 

ship,  &c.,  &c. 

R 


386  LETTERS    OF    A    FRIEND   TO    THE    NAVY. 

Will  not  the  large  ship  Relief,  of  four  hundred  and  sixty  tons, 
the  two  brigs  Pioneer  and  Consort  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  tons 
each,  and  the  schooner  Pilot,  of  one  hundred  and  fourteen  tons, 
sufficiently  awe  the  natives  ?  Must  the  frigate  be  added  to  in- 
timidate the  savages  ?  The  sending  out  this  frigate  will  increase 
by  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  the  expense  of  the  expedition , 
but  this  the  "  Citizen"  will  think  money  well  expended,  consid- 
ering how  amazingly  the  natives  will  be  scared. 

The  "  Citizen"  may  be  assured  that  Congress  had  views  very 
different  from  his  in  authorizing  the  employment  of  a  frigate  on 
this  expedition;  and  he  will  find  that  the  naval  officers  differ 
from  him  in  this,  as  in  most  other  points  in  which  he  undertakes 
to  regulate  the  affairs  of  the  navy.  It  is  the  glory  of  those  officers 
to  meet  an  enlightened  enemy  gun  to  gun  and  man  to  man ;  but 
not  to  exhibit  themselves  in  big  ships  to  intimidate  savages  or  awe 
the  natives. 

Terror  is  the  favourite  means  of  the  "  Citizen"  for  carrying  his 
points.  His  threats  are  quite  awful ;  and  upon  the  officers  of  the 
navy  who  have  offended  him  he  is  about  to  try  the  efficacy  of  his 
valued  remedy. 

In  his  number  four  he  says,  "  The  title  of  citizen,  sir,  is  a  proud 
title"  (meaning,  no  doubt,  his  own  title).  "  This  is  a  country  of  cit- 
izens. Citizens  make  the  navy ;  increase  or  diminish  it  at  their 
pleasure  ;  appoint  and  support  its  officers,  and  will  judge  them  (! !) ; 
for  every  year  he  is  on  active  duty  an  officer  may  be  two  on 
shore,  receiving  pay  in  the  latter  as  well  as  in  the  former  case." 
"  Let  them  indulge  in  illiberal,  contracted  feelings  of  petty  jeal- 
ousy against  the  appointment  of  citizens  to  their  appropriate  prov- 
inces, and  they  will  soon  find  themselves  in  the  hands  of  a  giant 
who  knows  his  power,  and  will  use  it." 

Now  this  giant  must  be  the  "  Citizen"  himself,  as  he  could  not 
be  certain  that  any  other  giant  knew  his  own  power,  or  that  he 
would  use  it.  And  as  it  is  believed  that  the  officers  of  the  navy 
have  no  indulged  themselves.  "  in  illiberal,  contracted  feelings  of 
petty  jealousy"  against  any  gentleman  of  science  selected  for  the 
expedition,  however  they  may  have  manifested  their  aversion  to 
a  pretender  who  seems  disposed  to  regulate  the  whole  enterprise, 
they  have  nothing  to  fear  but  from  the  execution  of  his  terrible 
threats. 


LETTERS    OF    A    FRIEND    TO    THE    NAVY.  387 

Now  let  me  implore  the  "  Citizen"  not  to  make  any  serious  im- 
pression upon  the  fears  of  the  officers  of  the  navy.  Although 
brave,  there  are  some  things  of  which  they  stand  in  awe.  They 
are  willing  to  encounter  men,  but  not  giants.  They  do  not  fear 
cannon  balls,  but  may  dread  "  a  withering  review"  from  the  '*  Citi- 
zen" in  the  public  papers.  Therefore  let  me  entreat  you,  "  Mr. 
Citizen,"  not  to  intimidate  them.  Don't,  Mr.  Giant;  do  not,  in 
your  wrath  and  fury,  play  the  part  of  the  terrible  lion, 

"  Who  roared  so  loud,  and  looked  so  horrid  grim. 
His  very  shadow  durst  not  follow  him." 

Be  satisfied  with  letting  these  officers  know,  as  you  have  done, 
that  they  are  open  to  censure  when  "  they  claim  to  assume  the 
performance  of  duties  for  which  their  previous  training  and  dis- 
tinct line  of  action  have  left  them  totally  unqualified."  That "  our 
public  vessels  have  been  round  the  world,  and  our  officers  in 
them,  among  islands,  and  in  places  rarely  visited ;  but  what  con- 
tributions to  science  have  resulted?"  This  will  be  sufficiently 
humiliating  to  those  officers,  who  have  heretofore  believed  that 
among  their  number  were  many  whose  writings  have  added  much 
to  the  character  of  their  country  for  science  and  literature.  In- 
deed, it  would  appear,  from  reading  domestic  and  foreign  reviews, 
that,  in  these  respects,  they  have  gained  a  high  reputation,  both 
at  home  and  abroad.  But  under  this  withering  review  of  the 
"  Citizen"  let  them  be  humble.  If  the  "  Citizen"  will  only  put 
off  the  lion's  skin,  and  cease,  by  his  awkward  attempts  at  roaring, 
to  frighten  folks  who  do  not  know  him,  the  affairs  of  the  exploring 
expedition  will  go  on  much  more  smoothly. 

Every  measure  has  been  adopted  for  making  the  necessary  al- 
terations in  the  two  barks  and  the  schooner  for  the  expedition,  and 
they  will  be  as  soon  fit  for  service  as  any  vessels  like  them  ever 
can  be. 

There  is  still  much  reluctance  on  the  part  of  the  officers  to  join 
the  squadron ;  but  it  is  believed  that  a  sufficient  number  will  be  in- 
duced to  enter  this  service  as  a  matter  of  duty,  and  that  they  need  not 
be  compelled  to  this  by  finding  themselves  in  the  hands  of  a  giant. 

Great  confidence  is  placed  in  the  gentlemen  of  the  scientific 
corps.  Their  competency  to  perform  the  duties  that  will  be  res- 
pectively assigned  to  them  with  honour  to  themselves  and  their 
country  is  undoubted ;  and  from  their  urbanity,  prudence,  and 


388  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

discretion,  it  is  believed  they  will  treat  the  officers  of  the  navy 
with  whom  they  may  be  associated  with  the  respect  due  to  their 
character  and  profession. 

Although  the  secretary  of  the  navy  believes  that  a  smaller  force 
for  the  exploring  expedition  would  be  more  efficient,  and  that  a 
frigate  is  a  larger  vessel  than  this  particular  service  requires,  yet, 
as  their  employment  is  authorized  by  Congress,  he  has  given  all 
the  orders  necessary  for  having  them  fitted  and  prepared  for  this 
service,  and  doubts  not,  we  are  aware,  that  from  the  enterprise 
much  benefit  will  result  to  the  commerce  and  navigation  of  our 
country,  and  great  advances  made  in  many  important  branches  of 
science.  It  has  been  shown,  however,  that  he  believes  that  all 
these  results  could  be  obtained  at  one  third  of  the  expense  of  this 
expedition,  and  with  a  tenth  part  of  the  noise.  He  has  some  old- 
fashioned  notions  of  economy  about  him,  which  many  believe  to 
be  out  of  time  and  out  of  place.  But  he  considers  a  million  of 
dollars  worth  saving.  It  would,  in  his  opinion,  build  a  drydock, 
and  he  would  not  give  one  drydock  for  a  mountain  of  molluscous 
treasures. 

A  FRIEND  TO  THE  NAVY. 

August  25, 1837. 


CITIZEN'S  LETTERS. 

VIII. 

To  the  Honourable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

SIR, 

What  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy"  said  in  his  first  number  has 
been  examined.  That  illustrious  writer  very  complacently  com- 
mences his  second  by  assuming  that  the  facts  stated  in  his  former 
communication  had  entirely  exonerated  you  from  all  censure, 
both  as  to  the  tardiness  in  shipping  men  and  the  delay  which  had 
occurred  in  preparing  vessels  for  the  expedition.  If  you  can  feel 
any  self-gratulation  in  his  defence  on  these  points,  I  should  deem 
it  cruel  to  disturb  your  quiet  enjoyment  of  it ;  so  I  shall  pass  on  to 
notice  some  of  the  positions  assumed  by  you  or  for  you,  which  are 
among  the  most  extraordinary  it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to  observe 
emanating  from  a  dignified  source.  I  shall  take  them  up  in  order. 


LETTERS    OF    A   CITIZEN.  389 

In  the  first  place,  sir,  allow  me  to  ask  what  is  meant  by  the 
following : — 

"  There  has  probably  been  no  secretary  of  the  navy  who  would 
not  gladly  have  engaged  in  sending  out  an  exploring  expedition 
if  it  could  be  done  in  accordance  with  his  own  views,  and  without 
embarrassing  him  in  other  official  duties  of  more  immediate  im- 
portance and  of  higher  responsibility." 

Are  you  aware,  sir,  of  the  indefensible  character  of  the  senti- 
ments expressed  in  the  above  extract  ?  Is  it  less  than  declaring 
that  the  will  of  Congress  maybe  trifled  with,  as  in  the  case  of  this 
expedition  it  has  been,  unless  the  forms  of  the  law,  and  the  time 
and  manner  of  passing  it,  shall  coincide  with  your  peculiar  views 
of  public  duty?  Shall  the  nation  remain  stationary  as  regards 
knowledge  and  improvement,  nay,  sir,  go  back  half  a  century  in 
intelligence,  ere  its  schemes  of  public  utility  can  receive  your 
sanction  ? 

You  would  graciously  condescend  to  fit  out  an  expedition,  pro- 
vided "  it  could  be  done  in  accordance  with  your  views  !"  Should 
not  Congress  take  a  hint  from  this  potential  rule,  quoted  as  the 
guide  of  your  official  action  ?  Would  it  not  be  a  saving  of  much 
time,  trouble,  and  money,  if  that  body  were  to  appoint  a  joint  com- 
mittee, whose  high  duty  it  should  be  to  ascertain  at  all  times  what 
laws,  and  what  modes  of  eiacting  them,  meet  the  "  views"  of  the 
honourable  the  secretary  of  the  navy  ?  Or,  perhaps,  the  same 
end  might  be  more  easily  attained  by  a  saving  clause  in  all  bills 
connected  with  the  naval  service ;  as,  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Sen- 
ate and  House  of  Representatives  that  the  President  of  the  United 
States  be,  and  he  hereby  is,  authorized  to  do  so  and  so,  provided 
there  is  nothing  as  regards  the  origin  or  passage  of  this  bill  dis- 
approved by  the  honourable  secretary  of  the  navy,  or  that  may  in 
any  manner  embarrass  him  in  the  discharge  of  other  official  duties 
of  more  importance  and  of  higJier  responsibility ! ! ! !  And,  sir, 
by  what  standard  are  the  acts  of  "  more  importance  and  higher 
responsibility"  to  be  estimated  ?  Is  the  decision  to  be  left  solely 
to  the  discretion,  feelings,  prejudices,  or,  if  you  please,  the  judg- 
ment of  the  head  of  the  department  ?  Who  can  set  limits  to  the 
train  of  evils  consequent  on  the  establishment  of  such  a  prece- 
dent ?  What  assurance  would  the  nation  have  that  its  laws  would 
be  faithfully  executed  ?  None  whatever.  Fortunately,  however, 


390  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

the  quarter  from  which  such  anti-democratic  doctrines  come  is 
not  calculated  to  gain  them  any  unusual  favour  in  the  public  mind. 
The  lachrymose  tone  so  characteristic  of  your  annual  report  is 
even  more  conspicuous  in  the  second  number  of  "  A  Friend  to  the 
Navy."  Indeed,  I  doubt  if  your  most  charitable  supporter  would 
be  able  to  point  out  a  single  manly  expression  in  anything  you 
have  written  connected  with  the  enterprise  ;  equally  fruitless  would 
be  his  attempt  to  select  a  solitary  recommendation  in  which  the 
noble  and  enlarged  views  of  the  liberal  and  strong-minded  states- 
man can  be  even  faintly  recognised. 

From  first  to  last,  in  conversation  and  in  all  your  reports,  one 
meets  with  nothing  but  a  grumbling,  fault-finding  spirit,  in  which 
it  is  difficult  to  say  whether  perversity  of  temper  or  narrowness 
of  policy  is  most  obvious. 

I  should  be  pleased  to  see  one  incident  pointed  out,  whether 
connected  with  the  plan  of  the  voyage,  its  objects,  the  construction 
of  the  vessels,  the  appointment  of  officers,  or  having  any  bearing, 
real  or  imaginary,  on  the  undertaking,  from  which  an  excuse  for 
delay  or  a  pretext  for  dissatisfaction  could  be  drawn,  of  which  you 
have  not  availed  yourself  to  the  utmost  for  these  purposes.  Thus 
it  was  again  and  again  asserted  that  the  protection  of  commerce 
in  1836  was  more  than  the  department  could  manage,  without  the 
"  new  duties"  of  fitting  out  the  expedition.  But,  that  I  may  not 
do  you  injustice  on  this  point,  I  will  let  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy" 
speak  for  himself. 

"  The  imposition  of  new  duties  in  fitting  out  an  exploring  ex- 
pedition could  not  fail  to  increase  the  difficulties  of  his  (the  sec- 
retary's) situation  without  relieving  him  of  the  responsibilities ; 
which  effect  they  have  hady  to  the  most  serious  injury  of  the  ser- 
vice. It  is  not  strange  that  the  secretary  should  feel  opposed  to 
the  imposition  of  new  duties  at  a  time  of  such  difficulties  ! !  /" 

Is  it  not  enough  to  provoke  a  smile  on  the  steeled  countenance 
of  a  stoic  to  hear  of  the  onerous  duties  of  the  secretary  of  the 
navy  ?  From  1797,  when  the  nation  had  a  navy  to  create,  through 
the  quo,si  war  with  France,  during  the  war  witii  the  Barbary 
States,  and  subsequently  with  the  first  naval  power  in  the  world, 
down  to  the  present  day,  nothing  like  your  piteous  groaning  had 
been  heard. 

No  such  melancholy  complainings  escaped  your  predecessors, 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  391 

sir,  when  they  had  everything  to  originate  and  determine ;  to  fix 
on  models  for  vessels ;  to  range  the  country  for  timber ;  cordage 
to  manufacture ;  copper  to  import ;  cannon  to  cast ;  but  now, 
when  a  board  of  naval  commissioners  are  in  constant  session  to 
price  and  purchase  all  materials  ;  when  naval  architects  are  ap- 
pointed, and  "  all  appliances  and  means"  are  in  readiness,  we  hear 
of  the  "  difficulties  of  your  situation,"  "  the  imposition  of  new 
duties,"  and  other  wild  phantoms  of  the  imagination  born  only  in 
the  brain  ! 

There  is  one  way  to  throw  off  the  burden  of  these  "  new  du- 
ties" and  "  responsibilities,"  which  I  will  point  out,  and  which  the 
whole  community,  and  especially  the  naval  service,  would  feel 
much  pleasure  in  seeing  adopted  ;  resign,  sir,  a  station,  the  duties 
of  which,  from  your  own  showing,  you  find  it  so  difficult,  if  not 
impossible,  to  perform  !  But,  before  you  take  this  step,  do  let 
the  country  know  in  detail  how  the  naval  service  has  been  "seri- 
ously injured"  by  the  exploring  expedition.  In  other  countries 
such  undertakings  have  been  considered  most  honourable  to  the 
naval  profession. 

As  regards  the  French  expedition,  intended  to  sail  on  the  15th 
of  this  month,  and  which  your  dilatory  action  has  allowed  to  pre- 
cede the  American,  such  is  said  to  be  the  enthusiasm  elicited  that 
some  of  the  most  promising  youth  in  the  kingdom  have  volun- 
teered their  services  even  before  the  mast ;  while  you  hold  up  a 
similar  enterprise  as  degrading  to  the  officers  of  our  navy  ! 

Perhaps  you  meant  the  following  incongruity  as  evidence  that 
the  expedition  has  been  of  the  most "  serious  injury  to  the  service  :" 

"  Nor  is  it  strange  that  he  (the  secretary  of  the  navy)  should 
be  opposed  to  the  manner  in  which  the  provision  for  the  exploring 
expedition  was  introduced  into  the  general  appropriation  bill  for 
the  navy? 

"  Early  in  the  session  this  bill  had  been  sent  from  the  House 
of  Representatives  to  the  Senate ;  there  an  amendment  was  pro- 
posed authorizing  this  eocpedition ;  and  there  it  remained,  loaded 
with  this  rider,  until  nearly  the  time  of  passing  the  bill  on  the 
18th  of  May,  1836,  more  than  Jive  months  after  the  commence- 
ment of  the  session,  and  when  the  naval  service  was  greatly  em- 
barrassed for  want  of  the  appropriations? 

This  is  not  the  first  time  I  have  heard  of  your  high  displeasure 


392  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

against  the  committee  on  naval  affairs  in  the  Senate  for  their  au- 
dacity in  presuming  to  add  an  amendment  providing  for  the  ex- 
pedition to  the  bill  for  the  general  service,  without  having  first 
procured  your  gracious  permission,  and  ascertained  that  the  thing 
could  be  done  "  in  accordance  with  your  views ;"  but  it  is  the 
first  time  I  have  seen  this  presumptuous  censure  in  print ! 
Nearly  five  months,  we  are  informed,  did  this  bill  remain  in  the 
Senate ;  yes,  there  did  it  remain,  loaded  with  this  "  rider*  to 
"  the  most  serious  injury  of  the  service."  To  this  "  rider"  is  at- 
tributed all  the  delay,  from  the  early  part  of  the  session,  when  you 
inform  us  the  bill  was  sent  to  the  Senate.  The  only  "rider"  of 
leaden  weight  upon  the  expedition  has  been  yourself,  and  I  very 
much  fear  it  will  yet  be  the  death  of  you  !  But  did  you  hazard 
nothing  in  the  statement  that  the  "rider"  to  which  you  allude 
had  protracted  the  passage  of  the  bill  from  the  early  part  of  the 
session  till  nearly  the  middle  of  May  ? 

Now,  sir,  let  it  be  seen  how  a  few  plain  facts  from  the  record 
shall  put  you  down.  Bid  the  busy  functionary,  ever  near  your 
person,  bring  the  journals  of  the  Senate  and  house  and  lay  them 
on  your  table.  I  am  much  mistaken  if  you  do  not  find  that  the 
house  did  not  take  up  the  naval  bill,  in  committee  of  the  whole  on 
the  state  of  the  union,  until  March  30,  1836.  Search  the  rec- 
ord from  that  date,  and  you  will  find  that  the  bill  was  read  a  third 
time  and  passed  on  the  7th  of  April,  four  months  and  seven  days 
after  the  session  had  commenced,  during  the  greater  portion  of 
which  interval,  according  to  your  showing,  the  bill  was  detained 
in  the  Senate  groaning  under  this  " rider"  to  "  the  most  serious 
injury  of  the  naval  service." 

What,  then,  was  the  time  this  bill  did  remain  in  the  Senate? 
Look  at  the  journal,  and  see  if  it  did  not  pass  that  body  on  the 
28th  of  April.  Only  twenty  days  were  occupied  by  the  naval 
committee  in  passing  on  the  whole  bill,  with  all  its  details  and 
heavy  appropriations ;  in  getting  the  documents  printed ;  and 
in  carrying  the  measure  through  the  Senate.  But,  sir,  even  this 
delay  of  twenty  days  was  not  chargeable  on  the  "  rider"  provi- 
ding for  this  enterprise.  I  tell  you,  sir,  and  I  appeal  to  the  commit- 
tee to  confirm  the  truth  of  what  1  say,  that  the  said  "  rider"  did  not 
detain  the  general  bill  one  hour.  The  committee  were  unani- 
mous, the  Senate  nearly  so.  When  the  question  was  put,  "  shall 


LETTERS    OF  A    CITIZEN.  393 

the  amendment  be  engrossed  and  the  bill  read  a  third  time  ?"  it 
vras  determined  in  the  affirmative  without  debate.  Yeas  forty- 
one  ;  nay  one. 

But  this  is  not  all.  Memorials  from  Connecticut  had  brought 
the  South  Sea  expedition  before  the  committee  on  naval  affairs  in 
the  Senate  from  the  first  part  of  the  session.  That  committee 
examined  into  the  policy  of  the  measure,  and,  without  division, 
reported  a  bill  to  the  Senate  providing  for, the  expedition  on  the 
21st  March,  before  the  bill  for  the  general  service  had  passed  the 
lower  house  ;  so  that,  when  the  latter  did  reach  the  Senate,  the 
committee  simply  added  as  an  amendment  to  the  general  bill 
what  they  had  previously  determined  on.  Neither  in  the  com- 
mittee, therefore,  nor  in  the  Senate,  did  this  amendment  and 
"  rider"  cause  the  least  detention. 

Thus  saith  the  record ;  in  the  face  of  which,  for  the  evident 
purpose  of  casting  odium  on  the  committee,  and  of  justifying  your 
animosity  to  the  expedition,  was  the  statement  I  have  disproved 
brought  forward.  Having  no  doubt  that  the  committee  are  both 
competent  and  ready  to  answer  to  you  and  to  their  country  for 
their  proceedings  in  this  matter,  I  commit  you  on  this  point,  with- 
out further  comments,  into  their  hands,  to  dispose  of  you  and  your 
implications  as  the  public  good  shall  seem  to  require  ! 

"  Much  delay  has  taken  place,"  says  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy," 
"  in  consequence  of  the  condition  of  these  vessels." 

The  amount  of  labour  requisite  for  all  the  proposed  altera- 
tions would  not,  I  should  suppose,  occupy  more  than  thirty  days 
in  any  well-regulated  private  shipyard. 

"  The  officers  who  have  entered  the  navy  with  the  hope  of  distin- 
guishing themselves  in  battle  for  their  country"  look,  we  are  told, 
with  little  interest  to  a  service  so  pacific  as  a  surveying  and  explo- 
ring expedition.  The  love  of  honourable  war  is  an  infirmity  of  no- 
ble minds,  and  may,  by  the  gallant  and  brave,  be  forgiven ;  but 
this  assumption  by  a  ministerial  officer  of  so  decided  a  belligerent 
temper  may  prove  dangerous  to  the  state,  and  should  be  treated 
with  severity,  otherwise  what  a  warlike  nation  we  should  speed- 
ily become  under  your  management  of  the  navy  !  If,  however,  the 
desire  to  distinguish  themselves  in  battle  be  the  motive  of  our 
youth  in  entering  the  naval  service  of  their  country,  then  should 
it  be  the  policy  of  government  to  cherish  this  feeling,  and,  as  fre- 


394  LETTERS    OF   A  CITIZEN. 

quently  as  convenient,  allow  them  an  opportunity  of  putting  their 
ardour  and  courage  to  the  proof.     I  should  think  under  your  di 
rection  we  might  venture  to  fight  Mexico,  or,  perchance,  one  of 
the  Neapolitan  states  ! 

From  this  lofty  martial  tone  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy"  comes 
down  to  the  use  of  language  which  evidently  shows  the  contempt 
with  which  he  would  inspire  the  profession  for  all  the  duties  of 
the  service  save  "  battle."  Hear  him. 

"Respect  is  due  to  the  pride  and  feelings  of  gallant  officers  oj 
whom  unusual,  unexpected,  and  subordinate  duties  are  required. 
Great  additions  will  be  made  to  science  highly  interesting  to  gen- 
tlemen engaged  in  making  discoveries,  and  highly  honourable  to 
the  country ;  but  somewhat  irksome  to  officers  performing  a  sub- 
ordinate part  in  these  operations,  and  who  aspire  to  service  more 
properly  belonging  to  their  professional  duties" 

"  To  such  labours  and  discoveries  no  more  force  should  be 
employed,  than  what  is  absolutely  necessary"  Can  any  one  read 
the  above  extracts,  and  fail  to  perceive  the  obvious  design  of  the 
writer  ?  Would  you  not  be  ashamed  to  append  your  name  to  a 
document  containing  such  sentiments  ?  You  have  at  all  times 
urged  the  reluctance  of  officers  to  enter  this  service  ;  do  not  the 
foregoing  quotations  convict  the  writer  of  unworthy  efforts  to 
produce  that  very  feeling  ?  Have  you  not  frequently  predicted 
that  disagreement  and  bickerings  would  occur  between  the  offi- 
cers and  naturalists  ;  and  do  not  the  passages  transcribed  prove 
the  full  intentions  of  the  author  to  bring  about  the  very  evils  you 
have  prophesied  ?  Does  the  functionary  who  is  capable  of  la- 
bouring with  such  intent  deserve  the  cognomen  of  "  A  Friend  to 
the  Navy  ?" 

Is  it  an  irksome  and  subordinate  duty  to  protect  the  commercial 
interests  of  our  country ;  to  explore  new  regions ;  .succour  cast- 
away seamen  ;  make  charts  of  harbours  ;  survey  dangerous  pas- 
sages and  important  groups  of  islands  ;  to  "  bind  down  the  strong 
arm  of  the  mutineer ;"  hold  conferences  with  the  natives  ;  in- 
crease our  trade  ;  and  render  more  secure  the  lives  of  our  marin- 
ers ?  All  these,  you  would  teach,  are  but  "subordinate"  duties, 
and  quite  beneath  the  ambition  of  men  who  have  entered  "  the 
service  with  the  hope  of  distinguishing  themselves  in  battle  !  ! ! !" 

Why  have  you  not  been  more  explicit  in  pointing  out  wherein 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  395 

the  employment  of  naturalists  will  interfere  with  the  claims  to 
those  honours  and  distinctions  which,  by  the  common  consent 
of  all  enlightened  countries,  have  ever  been  accorded  to  naval  of- 
ficers engaged  in  enterprises  similarly  noble,  humane,  and  bene- 
ficial in  their  objects  ?  Would  their  labours  be  other  than  hon- 
ourable provided  no  naturalists  were  to  accompany  the  expedition  ? 
Will  you  indicate  how  they  can  be  less  so  because  accompanied 
by  scientific  men  without  nautical  knowledge  or  pretension  ?  -  * 

WTere  the  military  chiefs  under  Napoleon  less  distinguished  be- 
cause savans  were  attached  to  the  expedition  to  Egypt  ?  Was 
not  the  glory  of  the  former  rather  embalmed  and  rendered  more 
imperishable  by  the  discoveries  of  the  latter ;  and  that,  too,  with- 
out filching  a  single  leaf  from  the  laurel  which  inwreathed  the 
soldier's  brow  ?  So  will  it  be  with  all  concerned  in  this  under- 
taking, and  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy"  will  be  foiled  in  his  dark,  I 
might  say  malignant,  efforts  to  sow  the  seeds  of  discord  among 
high-principled  individuals,  who  feel  the  weight  of  responsibility 
they  have  assumed,  and  be  brought  to  feel  that  petty  jealousies, 
alike  unworthy  of  officers  and  civilians,  are  harboured  only  in  en- 
vious and  contracted  minds  ! ! ! 

We  are  next  informed  by  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy"  that  expe 
ditions  sent  out  by  other  countries  have  generally  been  small ;  and 
that  "  among  the  most  splendid  exploring  voyages  of  modern  times 
is  that  of  the  Astrolabe,  a  corvette  of  eighteen  guns  and  eighty 
men." 

Now,  sir,  allow  me  to  inquire,  how  can  you  answer  to  the  coun- 
try for  your  late  shocking  prodigality  in  the  force  you  have  em- 
ployed to  make  a  few  soundings  on  George's  Bank  ?  Have  you 
not  sent  on  that  service  a  vessel  of  eighteen  guns  and  eighty  men, 
besides  an  additional  chartered  force  ?  Surely  you  have  lost  sight 
of  the  exposed  condition  of  our  commerce  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
of  which  we  have  heard  so  much,  as  well  as  of  the  wants  of  the 
service  on  other  stations,  upon  the  requisite  force  for  which  the 
South  Sea  expedition  has  made  such  fearful  inroads !  Did  the 
duties  to  be  performed  at  George's  Bank  call  for  a  larger  force 
than  that  of  the  "most  splendid  exploring  expedition  of  mod- 
ern times  ?"  and  yet  you  have  employed  a  largei  force  upon  it. 
After  this,  it  is  hoped  the  country  will  hear  no  more  about  the 
vast  scale  on  which  the  South  Sea  expedition  is  authorized  to  be 


396  LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN. 

fitted  out;  it  bears  no  comparison  with  your  outfit  to  George's 
Bank,  the  magnitude  of  the  respective  objects  and  labours  of 
the  two  enterprises  being  taken  into  consideration.  Yesr  sir, 
and  while  on  this  point  there  is  one  more  little  question  which 
I  wish,  in  the  politest  manner  imaginable,  to  propose  to  you; 
it  is  this  :  How  did  it  happen  that  you  gave  permission  to  the 
officer  having  charge  of  the  survey  on  the  banks  to  take  what  in- 
struments he  chose  from  those  procured  expressly  for  the  South 
Sea  squadron,  and  purchased  with  the  funds  appropriated  for 
that  exclusive  purpose  ?  /  would  also  further  inquire  if  you  in- 
tend to  detain  the  eocpedition  till  the  return  of  the  Porpoise,  or  is 
it  to  proceed  to  sea  minus  the  abstracted  apparatus  ?  The  best 
way  to  get  out  of  this  difficulty  is  to  be  candid,  and  own  what 
I  have  no  doubt  are  the  facts  of  the  case,  viz.,  that  when  you 
gave  the  permission  referred  to  (for  without  it  I  cannot  suppose 
the  instruments  to  have  been  taken),  you  had  just  hit  on  the  plan 
of  your  famous  commission ;  and  entertaining  no  doubt  of  being 
sustained  by  the  board,  either  wholly  or  in  part,  in  breaking  down 
the  expedition,  you  considered  that  this  sending  off  the  apparatus 
was  only  taking  time  by  the  forelock,  and  adding  one  more  to  the 
list  of  difficulties  already,  according  to  your  statements,  so  over- 
whelming ! 

At  length  we  have  something  like  an  outline  of  the  character  and 
force  you  would  sanction  in  an  expedition  to  the  South  Seas. 
True,  you  have  not  condescended  to  go  into  detail  or  explain  how 
its  varied  labours  could  be  accomplished  with  that  force,  and  it 
were  wise  in  you  to  abstain  from  any  attempt  to  do  so.  Here  is 
your  plan. 

"  Two  ships  would  be  quite  enough  for  the  purposes  of  survey 
and  exploration  on  this  South  Sea  expedition,  and  an  additional 
vessel  for  the  search  of  wrecked  mariners" 

It  were  an  easy  matter  to  show  the  utter  insufficiency  of  what 
you  here  recommend,  to  say  nothing  about  the  modesty  of  the  rec- 
ommendation after  the  adoption  of  the  present  force  by  the  com- 
petent authorities  in  the  first  place,  and  its  recent  approval  by  your 
own  commission  appointed  expressly  to  adjudge  the  matter.  But 
it  is  not  worth  while  to  waste  time  in  arguing  the  point  with  one 
who  so  pertinaciously  refuses  to  understand — or,  understanding, 
continues  to  misrepresent — the  objects  for  which  the  measure  was 
-Authorized.  The  admission,  however,  that  one  vessel  our' f 


LETTERS    OF   A  CITIZEN.  397 

sent  out  for  the  purpose  of  picking  up  lost  seamen,  is  at  once  sin- 
gular and  amusing,  considering  the  source  from  which  it  comes. 
It  is  rather  a  squinting  towards  an  acknowledgment  that  the  en- 
terprise, after  all,  has  something  to  do  with  the  protection  of  com- 
merce ;  for  surely  there  are  no  mariners  to  be  picked  off  the  isl- 
ands as  near  as  it  would  be  possible  or  safe  to  approach  the 
South  Pole  !  Why  have  you  not  the  openness  to  admit  that  the 
Macedonian  is  the  proper  vessel  for  this  humane  purpose?  The 
presence  of  such  a  vessel,  by  its  effect  upon  the  minds  of  the  isl- 
anders, would  tend  to  lessen  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  our 
sailors  whom  shipwreck  may  hereafter  throw  among  them.  In- 
deed, this  was  one  among  other  reasons  which  induced  the  late 
president  to  adopt  her  as  the  flag-ship  of  the  expedition ;  and  so 
fully  was  he  convinced  of  the  importance  of  a  frigate,  that  he  is 
known  to  have  said,  during  the  last  session,  that  a  ship  of  that  class 
should  form  one  of  the  squadron,  whether  the  appropriation,  then 
pending,  was  made  or  not. 

"  A  Friend  to  the  Navy"  tries  his  hand  at  verbal  criticism,  and, 
like  the  wiseacre  in  the  fable,  who  took  a  single  brick  as  a  sample 
of  the  whole  edifice,  dashes  upon  a  few  detached  sentences  of  a 
certain  address  on  the  subject  of  the  expedition,  delivered  in  the 
Hall  of  Representatives  before  the  members  of  Congress  on  the 
3d  of  April,  1836.  What  that  address  has  to  do  with  the  derelic- 
tions of  duty  which  "  Citizen"  charges  upon  you,  has  not  yet  been 
pointed  out. 

Though  I  cannot  say  you  have  evinced  the  acuteness  of  Juvenal, 
the  grammatical  accuracy  of  Harris  or  GifTord,  or  the  polish  of 
that  rancorous  critic,  Dennis,  still  I  must  own  that  you  appear 
to  have  caught  the  mantle  of  old  Father  Pepys,  who,  in  his  me- 
moirs, thus  discourseth  about  Hudibras  :  "  When  I  came  to  read 
it,  it  is  so  silly  an  abuse  of  the  old  Presbyter  Knight  going  to  the 
wars,  that  I  am  ashamed  of  it :  and  by-and-by  meeting  at  Mr. 
Townsend's  at  dinner,  I  sold  it  to  Mr.  Battersby  for  eighteen- 
pence."  Your  critical  acumen  seems  to  be  of  about  the  same 
ealibre  as  that  of  the  censor  of  Hudibras ;  and  I  advise  you  to 
dispose  of  this  said  address  as  he  did  of  Butler's  poem — sell  it ! 
With  great  respect  I  have  the  honour  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 
LL 


398  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

P.S.  No.  III.  of  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy"  is  acknowledged  a 
decided  improvement  in  style,  though  a  sad  falling  off  in  temper! 

New- York,  August  23,  1837. 


IX. 

In  this  paper  we  publish  the  concluding  address  of  a  "  Citizen"  to  the  secretary  of 
the  navy.  We  wish  that  the  discussion  had  not  been  so  far  protracted  ;  we  wish  that 
we  could  have  avoided  giving  pain  to  any  member  of  the  administration  ;  but  circum- 
stances were  uncontrollable,  and  the  fortune  of  the  exploring  expedition,  one  of  the  no- 
blest and  most  important  measures  ever  adopted  by  the  American  government,  seemed 
bound  up  in  the  prosecution  of  the  discussion.  Plain  duty,  therefore,  marked  our  course, 
and  we  have  not  shrunk  from  it,  however  disagreeable  it  may  have  been.  The  letters 
of  a  "  Citizen"  have  been  distinguished  by  thorough  knowledge  of  the  subject,  unbound- 
ed zeal  in  the  great  cause,  a  single-minded  devotion ,to  its  interest,  purity  of  style,  force 
of  argument,  and  logical  clearness  of  statement  and  induction.  Universal  public  opinion 
approves  warmly  of  his  undertaking,  and  ascribes  to  its  able  execution  the  welcome  im- 
provement in  the  prospects  of  the  expedition,  the  probability  of  its  now  efficient  equip- 
ment and  speedy  departure.  For  ourselves,  we  believe  well,  that,  but  for  the  labours  of 
our  correspondent,  the  expedition  would  not  now  have  been  within  a  twelvemonth  of 
sailing,  if  it  ever  sailed  at  all,  unless  crippled  of  all  efficiency  and  capacity  for  usefulness. 
The  "  Citizen"  has  served  his  country  and  the  cause  of  science  and  humanity  nobly  ; 
and  he  has  served,  perhaps  saved,  the  head  of  the  navy  department.  We  take  leave  of 
him  with  our  best  wishes  for  his  prosperity  and  happiness,  wherever  his  sphere  of  life 
may  be  cast. — Editor  of  the  New-  York  Times. 

To  the  Honouiable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

SIR, 

I  can  only  account  for  the  confession  made  in  the  first  para- 
graph of  your  third  number  by  regarding  it  as  another  confirma- 
tion of  the  trite  saying  of  the  Latins,  that  "  those  whom  the  gods 
intend  to  destroy  they  first  make  mad."  Excuse  me  for  not  giv- 
ing the  Roman  text :  I  set  out  with  the  intention  of  speaking  in 
plain  English,  and  shall  not  now  change  my  original  purpose, 
though  the  translation  may  grate  somewhat  harshly  on  your  clas- 
sical ear.  But  to  the  confession.  u  A  Friend  to  the  Navy"  tells 
us  that,  had  the  expedition  been  fitted  out  with  a  sloop-of-war  and 
such  other  smaller  vessels  as  the  law  of  the  first  session  of  the 
last  Congress  authorized,  together  with  such  books  and  instru- 
ments as  the  country  afforded,  the  whole  fleet,  on  that  scale,  might 
have  put  to  sea  on  or  before  the  meeting  of  Congress  in  Decem- 
ber last ;  but  when  it  was  determined  a  frigate  should  be  em- 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  399 

ployed,  "  it  was  evident,"  we  are  told,  "  that  another  session  must 
elapse,  and  further  appropriations  be  made,  before  the  fleet  could 
be  sent  to  sea."  Is  this  true  ?  Will  the  country  believe  it?  If 
so,  into  what  a  condition  have  you  brought  our  navy,  when  the 
head  of  this  great  branch  of  national  defence  can  make  so  humil- 
iating a  declaration  to  the  world  !  I  have  already  shown  that  the 
only  departure  even  from  the  strict  letter  of  the  law  was  the  sub- 
stitution of  the  frigate  of  thirty-six  guns  for  a  sloop  of  twenty-four. 
What  a  nutshell  to  hold  so  many  difficulties.  The  difference  be- 
tween a  sloop-of-war  and  a  frigate  !  And  let  it  be  borne  in  mind 
that  a  report  had  been  made  which  stated  that  in  ninety  days  the 
Macedonian  could  be  ready  for  sea.  This  report  was  made  by 
the  commissioners  to  the  president  prior  to  the  selection  of  the 
last-mentioned  vessel.  The  difference  between  this  ship  and  a 
sloop-of-war  is  twelve  guns,  and  yet  the  disparity,  in  fact  so  tri- 
fling, is  paraded  before  the  public  as  a  valid  excuse  for  the  shame- 
ful and  unnecessary  detention  of  the  expedition.  By  "  extraordi- 
nary efforts,"  however,  you  have  been  able  to  overcome  this  dif- 
ficulty in  fitting  out  an  expedition  at  the  rate  of  about  one  gun  per 
month ! ! ! ! 

It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  that  the  confession  to  which  I  have 
referred  should  have  escaped  "  A  Friend  to  the  Navy,"  inasmuch 
as  you  must  remember  having  declared,  from  the  beginning,  that 
the  expedition  could  not  sail  during  the  past  season.  Yes,  sir,  I 
remember  to  have  met  you  in  the  lobby  of  the  theatre  at  Wash- 
ington on  the  very  evening  of  the  day  on  which  the  bill  passed 
the  house,  and  that  you  then  remarked,  previously  to  a  word  being 
said  as  to  the  size  of  the  vessels  to  be  employed,  that  the  squad- 
ron could  not  be  despatched  that  season.  I  repeat,  sir,  to  me, 
the  "  Furious  Citizen,"  did  you  make  that  declaration.  Do  you 
forget  it  ?  Have  you  forgot,  also,  how  reluctantly  you  took  the 
measure  up  when  required  by  the  president  to  do  so  ?  Sir,  you 
intended,  from  the  first,  to  bring  the  matter  a  second  time  before 
Congress.  Will  you  give  the  negative  to  this  assertion  ?  And 
was  it  not  because  you  felt  deeply  chagrined  at  being  unable  to 
defeat  the  enterprise  as  authorized  by  Congress  1 

As  a  plea  in  mitigation  of  judgment,  for  I  cannot  consider  it  of- 
fered as  a  defence,  we  are  told  what  extraordinary  efforts  you  had 
used  during  the  month  of  June,  1836  (I  mention  the  year,  lest, 


400  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

from  the  multiplicity  and  variety  of  your  endeavours  to  frustrate 
the  enterprise,  some  confusion  should  ensue  in  point  of  time) ; 
which  efforts,  it  appears,  consisted  in  having  written  to  Commo- 
dore Jones  "  without  delay,"  conferred  about  the  vessels,  given 
orders  for  their  construction,  and  directed  that  sailors  should  be 
recruited  to  man  them.  Even  the  days  are  named  on  which  the 
orders  were  issued,  viz.,  the  6th,  7th,  1 1th,  and  the  20th  of  June ; 
and  the  whole  statement  is  evidently  relied  on  to  explain  away 
your  subsequent  tardiness  of  action,  as  also  to  enable  you  to  ex- 
claim, with  an  assumed  air  of  candid  surprise,  that  "  in  all  this  a 
*  Citizen'  can  see  nothing  but  insufferable  delay,  for  which  he 
holds  the  secretary  responsible."  After  some  other  samples  of 
twaddling  criticism  about  the  South  Pole,  confirming  the  obser- 
vation that 

"  Great  wits,  like  great  states, 
Do  sometimes  sink  by  their  own  weights," 

you  very  complacently  lay  the  flattering,  but,  alas !  delusive  unc- 
tion to  your  heart,  that  none  "  except  the  '  Citizen,9  and  a  few 
who  have  been  bitten  by  him,  can  see  any  cause  for  throwing 
censure  upon  the  secretary"  , 

Sir,  the  public  mind  has  been  slow  and  reluctant  to  fix  its  con- 
demnation upon  you,  but  it  has  been  constrained  to  do  so,  and 
the  future  Plutarch  of  our  republic  may  indignantly  inquire, 
"  Who  was  this  honourable  secretary,  that  lie  should  have  so  un- 
graciously endeavoured  to  thwart  the  wishes  of  his  country  by 
creating  obstacles  to  the  fulfilment  of  a  noble  and  useful  national 
design  ?"  Think  you  the  brief  biographical  notice  of  you  con- 
tained in  the  "  National  Portrait  Gallery,"  partial  as  it  is  known 
to  be,  will  afford  a  satisfactory  reply  T 

What  I  slated  in  relation  to  the  shipment  of  men,  the  comple- 
tion of  the  frigate  and  store-ship,  and  the  organization  of  the  sci- 
entific corps,  you  have  not  denied  :  the  facts  cannot  be  refuted. 
Not  the  slightest  extra  encouragement  was  allowed  by  you  for 
the  purpose  of  inducing  seamen  to  join  the  expedition.  The  Ma- 
cedonian was  not  finished,  nor  was  she  in  a  condition  to  receive 
her  crew,  in  December,  1836,  as  stated  in  your  annual  report ; 
nor  did  she  receive  her  crew  on  board  until  June,  1837.  On 
these  points  you  offer  a  volume  of  explanations,  about  as  falla- 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  401 

cious  and  irrelevant  to  the  matter  at  issue  as  was  the  excuse  of 
the  individual  who  wrote  a  letter  and  requested  his  correspond- 
ent to  pardon  errors  in  orthography,  as  his  knife  was  so  dull  that 
he  could  not  mend  his  pen.  Your  explanations  are  non  sequitors 
of  nearly  the  same  calibre,  and  will  probably  carry  as  clear  con- 
viction to  the  mind  of  the  reader.  I  have  no  desire, 'sir,  to  mis- 
represent you ;  the  truth  is  bad  enough  without  any  exaggeration. 
The  charges  I  have  preferred  against  you  ,on  account  of  your  of- 
ficial delinquencies  have  gone,  to  the  public  through  the  same 
channel  as  your  defence,  and  the  public  will  judge  between  us. 

The  words  "  extraordinary  efforts"  are  not,  as  stated  by  you, 
a  fabrication  ;  they  occur  in  your  report,  and  are  fairly  applicable 
in  the  sense  in  which  I  used  them.  It  is  a  shallow  evasion  to 
say  "  the  duties  were  to  be  performed  by  others,  not  by  the  sec- 
retary. He  does  not  superintend  the  recruiting  of  seamen." 
True,  sir,  you  do  not  personally  bargain  with  the  sailor;  but  it 
was  your  duty  to  afford  to  others  the  means  by  which  unusual  ex- 
ertions could  be  made  ;  and  these  you  pertinaciously  refused.  If, 
as  you  state,  "  it  was  unusual  to  put  the  recruiting  service  under 
the  superintendence  of  the  commander  of  the  squadron ;"  if  it 
were  unusual  to  recruit  seamen  for  a  particular  service,  both  of 
which  you  own  you  were  directed  by  the  president  to  see  done, 
the  inquiry  presents  itself,  why  were  not  these  measures  more 
successful  ?  I  have  already  stated  the  reason.  You  refused  the 
necessary  means  for  carrying  out  this  plan  of  shipping  for  a 
special  service  by  prohibiting  the  offer  of  all  inducement  beyond 
what  the  ordinary  rendezvous  afforded.  Nay,  more  :  when  on  a 
visit  to  this  city  in  August,  thirteen  months  ago,  on  seeing  the 
bills  up  for  the  special  shipment  of  men,  did  you  or  did  you  not 
say  that  you  would  fix  that  business  by  allowing  the  same  privi- 
lege in  shipping  mariners  for  the  Pacific  and  Brazilian  stations ; 
and  were  not  similar  placards  accordingly  posted  on  the  walls,  thus 
rendering  the  facilities  in  favour  of  the  expedition  a  mere  mock- 
ery ?  Your  assigned  reason  for  not  placing  funds  in  the  hands 
of  recruiting  agents,  except  at  the  regular  depots,  is  pefectly  fu- 
tile, as  security  for  the  advances  and  delivery  of  the  men  could 
have  been  taken  at  New-London,  New-Bedford,  and  other  inter- 
mediate points. 

The  "  threats"  in  my  second  letter  to  give  a  withering  review 


402  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

of  the  conduct  of  those  who  had  attempted,  by  misrepresentation 
of  its  purposes,  to  defeat  the  expedition,  you  seem  to  think  have 
not  been  redeemed.  You  appear,  also,  to  have  some  difficulty  in 
recognising  the  parties  to  whom  I  had  reference.  I  have  no  wish 
to  be  obscure,  or  to  leave  any  doubt  on  your  mind  upon  this  point ; 
I  will  therefore  say  at  once,  "  thou  art  the  man"  to  whom  I  al- 
luded as  being  at  the  head  of  those  who  misrepresented  the  true 
objects  of  the  measure  with  the  sole  view  of  compassing  its  utter 
defeat. 

If  my  review  of  your  official  conduct  has  not  been  sufficiently 
"  withering,"  I  am  quite  willing  to  amend  my  error ;  the  subject 
is  far  from  being  "  exhausted," 

There  is  but  one  more  point  in  your  third  number  which  I  es- 
teem worthy  of  notice.  I  allude  to  your  sneering  remarks  on  the 
mass  of  information  treasured  up  by  our  whalemen  during  their 
voyages  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  South  Seas,  which  information 
formed  the  subject  of  a  report  to  the  department  in  1 828 ;  to  be 
found  among  the  documents  setting  forth  the  objects  of  the  under- 
taking. 

Who  ever  vouched  for  entire  accuracy  of  detail  in  the  docu- 
ment you  have  pretended  to  criticise  ?  No  one,  sir,  has  made 
such  an  averment,  and  of  this  fact  you  are  perfectly  cognizant. 
The  individual  you  mention  as  having  rendered  himself  ridiculous 
through  the  report  in  question  held  the  following  language  in  his 
address  before  Congress,  when  speaking  of  the  information  that 
report  imbodied. 

"  That  the  positions  of  the  islands,  as  laid  down  by  our  whale- 
men, are  determined  with  accuracy,  we  pretend  not  to  assert; 
neither  do  these  adventurous  navigators  themselves  lay  claim  to 
any  such  exactness.  The  very  nature  of  these  pursuits  almost 
precludes  the  possibility  of  such  a  result;  their  primary  object 
being  to  take  whale,  and  not  to  make  discoveries.  When,  how- 
ever, we  reflect  on  the  disadvantages  under  which  they  labour ; 
unprovided  with  instruments  of  improved  construction  ;  often  com- 
puting their  progress  by  the  run  of  the  log  alone,  without  allow- 
ance for  the  influence  of  currents,  the  force  and  direction  of  which 
they  do  not  stop  to  investigate,  it  must  be  conceded  that  the  in- 
formation they  have  imparted  is  more  correct  and  explicit  than 
we  could  reasonably  anticipate.  But  if  these  men  have  not  the 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  403 

means  and  opportunity  of  noting  with  precision  the  geographical 
position  of  their  discoveries,  it  is  still  less  within  their  power  to 
ascertain  the  capacity,  resources,  and  productions  of  the  new  lands. 
Whale-ships  lost  in  the  process  of  examining  a  group  of  islands 
or  a  reef  forfeit  their  ensurance.  Even  were  this  otherwise,  time 
cannot  be  spared  for  such  a  survey ;  and  thus  a  brief  note  in  a 
vessel's  logbook  is  frequently  the  only  recorded  notice  of  a  dan- 
gerous reef  or  a  new  archipelago.  It  is  impossible,  however,  to 
examine  the  reports  of  our  South  Sea  whaling  captains  without 
feeling  the  value  of  that  mighty  mass  of  rude  materials  with  which 
they  have  furnished  us.  To  have  those  materials  carefully  ana- 
lyzed, and  a  work  upon  which  confident  reliance  can  be  placed 
prepared  for  future  use,  is  the  bounden  duty  of  government.  The 
prosecution  of  these  objects  will  constitute  an  important  part  of 
the  labours  of  the  expedition  ;  labours  which  ought  not,  in  justice, 
to  have  been  delayed  till  now.  Perhaps  the  silent  and  unobtrusive 
manner  in  which  our  great  ocean  concerns  are  carried  on  may,  in 
some  measure,  account  for,  if  it  cannot  justify,  the  negligence  of 
our  government  in  not  watching  with  a  more  vigilant  eye  the  in- 
terests of  our  civil  marine,  and  protecting  it  more  effectually  by 
the  strong  arm  of  naval  power.  I  put  the  question  to  every  lib- 
eral-minded, intelligent  individual  within  these  walls,  is  it  honour- 
able, is  it  politic  or  wise — waiving  the  considerations  of  humanity 
and  duty — to  look  supinely  on,  while  our  citizens  are  exposed  to 
shipwreck  in  seas  or  coasts,  and  among  islands,  of  which  they 
possess  no  charts  capable  of  guiding  them  aright,  and  to  suffer 
them  to  be  massacred  by  savages  for  lack  of  such  a  judicious  ex- 
hibition of  maritime  strength  as  would  command  respect  by 
showing  the  ability  to  enforce  it  ?  And  yet  such  is  the  situation 
of  our  commerce  in  many  parts  of  the  world." 

And  pray,  sir,  what  is  the  language  of  Admiral  Kruzenstein, 
which  you  have  hunted  up,  in  relation  to  this  same  report  ?  Pre- 
cisely in  substance  what  its  author  himself  held,  as  will  appear 
from  the  translation  quoted  below. 

"  At  the  time  when  the  American  government  contemplated  fit- 
ting out  an  expedition  to  explore  the  Pacific  Ocean,  Mr.  Reynolds 
presented  to  the  secretary  of  the  navy,  Mr.  Southard,  a  memorial, 
of  which  a  copy  has  been  communicated  to  me,  in  which  he  pre- 
sents the  results  of  the  researches  made  by  him  in  the  different 


404  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

ports  of  the  United  States  into  the  subject  of  the  discoveries  of 
American  whalers. 

"  The  information  received  by  him  from  the  whalers,  and  which 
he  communicates  in  his  memorial,  is  not,  however,  of  a  nature  to 
inspire  great  confidence.  Islands  may  there  be  seen  under  the 
same  name,  and  differing  several  degrees  in  longitude ;  there  are 
several  others  designated  under  the  same  latitude  and  longitude, 
which  certainly  must  be  one  and  the  same  island." 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  authority  of  Admiral  Kruzenstein, 
so  far  as  it  is  of  any  importance,  is  decidedly  against  you,  and  fully 
sustains  all  which  has  been  claimed  for  the  document,  based  on 
the  materials  furnished  by  our  whalers,  viz.,  that  it  goes  to  show 
that  the  knowledge  we  possess  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  South 
Seas  is  so  imperfect  as  to  demonstrate  the  utility  of  sending  out 
an  expedition  to  ascertain  and  settle  what  is  at  present  vague  and 
uncertain,  and  thus  give  additional  security  to  our  commercial  in- 
terests in  those  quarters.  With  these  remarks  I  shall  leave  you 
to  reflect  on  the  illiberality  and  injustice  of  the  attack  you  have 
made  on  the  enterprise  of  our  whalers,  for  your  remarks  will  bear 
no  other  construction. 

And  now  for  the  fourth  and  last  article  you  have  given  to  the 
public.  I  shall  content  myself  with  a  few  brief  remarks  upon  this 
"  delectable'  production.  It  bears  indubitable  evidence  that  you 
have  become  alarmed  at  the  untenable  nature  of  your  position,  es- 
pecially in  maintaining  that  the  great  object  of  the  expedition  was 
to  explore  regions  as  near  the  South  Pole  as  can  be  approached 
without  danger. 

In  that  number  you  have,  for  the  first  time,  been  compelled  to 
confess  "  that  from  the  enterprise  much  benefit  will  result  to  the 
commerce  and  navigation  of  our  country,  and  great  additions  be 
made  in  many  important  branches  of  science."  For  the  sake  of 
this  confession  I  am  willing  to  pass  over  without  comment  many 
amusing  quibbles  and  tergiversations  incident  to  your  defence, 
seven  eighths  of  which  are  utterly  irrelevant  to  the  subject-matter 
at  issue  between  us. 

You  are  now,  as  I  am  pleased  to  learn,  doing  your  duty  with  a 
much  better  grace  than  could  have  been  expected,  considering 
your  late  disappointments.  To  bring  you  to  this  point  was  my 
sole  motive  in  addressing  you.  For  the  mere  sake  of  controversy 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  405 

I  should  not  have  written,  as  I  feel  no  pride  in  a  triumph  over 
you.  It  is  sufficient  for  my  purpose  that  you  have  at  length  been 
driven  to  abandon  the  position  assumed  in  your  famous  report  of 
April  16,  and  subsequently  maintained  in  your  instructions  to  the 
naval  board,  with  both  of  which  the  annexed  extract  from  your 
last  letter  appears  in  amusing  contrast. 

"  Five  sixths  of  the  time  of  the  cruise  the  squadron  will  be 
in  lower  latitudes  and  milder  climates,  making  surveys  and  explo- 
rations ;  discovering  islands,  rocks,  reefs,  and  shoals  ;  ascertaining 
latitudes  and  longitudes  ;  affording  aid  and  protection  to  our  mer- 
chants and  whalers  ;  rescuing  wrecked  mariners  ;  and  performing 
a  variety  of  other  duties,"  &c.,  &c. 

This  is  rational ;  this  is  what  the  friends  of  the  expedition  have 
uniformly  declared;  but  just  what  you  have  never,  until  now, 
admitted.  Go  on,  then,  as  you  are  now  doing,  to  the  end.  De- 
spatch the  expedition  with  a  just  and  enlightened  liberality ;  aban- 
don all  efforts  to  defeat,  retard,  or  cripple  its  efficiency ;  claim 
credit  for  good  intentions  ;  protest  that  you  never  wished  to  de- 
stroy it,  and  you  may  yet  receive,  if  not  entire  forgiveness  for  the 
past,  at  least  a  glorious  oblivion  for  the  future  ! 

A  "  Citizen"  fully  agrees  with  you  in  the  importance  you  at- 
tach to  the  examination  of  high  latitudes  south.  He  has  never 
maintained  other  opinions ;  but  he  regards  it  as  one  object,  not 
the  great  objects  of  the  enterprise.  Nor  has  he  ever  used  any 
language  in  reference  to  the  attainment  of  ninety  degrees  south 
which  he  is  not  willing  again  to  repeat.  In  the  very  document, 
and  in  the  very  pages  you  have  turned  over,  he  has  said — "  That 
the  ninetieth  degree,  or  South  Pole,  may  be  reached  by  the  navi- 
gator, is  our  deliberate  opinion  (unless  intercepted  by  land),  which 
all  that  we  have  seen  and  known  has  tended  to  confirm.  That 
an  expedition  should  be  despatched  from  this  country  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  ascertaining  the  practicability  of  attaining  it  is  not,  per- 
haps, to  be  expected ;  but  that  the  effort  should  be  allowed  to  be 
made  in  connection  with  the  other  great  objects  of  the  enterprise, 
is  perfectly  in  accordance  with  the  most  prudential  policy.  We 
shall  not  discuss,  at  present,  the  probability  of  this  result,  though 
its  possibility  might  be  easily  demonstrated.  If  this  should  be 
realized,  where  is  the  individual  who  does  not  feel  that  such  an 
achievement  would  add  new  lustre  to  the  annals  of  American 


406  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

philosophy,  and  crown  with  a  new  and  imperishable  wreath  the 
nautical  glories  of  our  country." 

Allow  me  to  ask,  sir,  what  you  find  exceptionable  in  this  lan- 
guage. I  do  not  know  that  you  would  rejoice  at  such  an  achieve- 
ment, but  I  do  believe  there  is  not  another  individual,  of  the  four- 
teen millions  that  inhabit  our  republic,  who  would  not  exult  in  the 
honour  it  would  confer  on  the  American  name. 

If  I  have  rendered  myself  "  ridiculous"  by  what  I  have  said  on 
this  point,  you  will  at  least  find  that  I  stand  in  pretty  good  com- 
pany. Permit  me  to  commend  to  your  especial  notice  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  French  expedition,  which  your  "  extraordi- 
nary efforts"  have  suffered  to  precede  our  own. 

"  M.  le  commandant  Dumont  d'Urville  received  on  Friday  au- 
dience of  his  majesty  the  king.  In  the  interview,  which  extended 
beyond  half  an  hour,  his  majesty  reiterated  his  wishes  that  the 
exploring  expedition  of  the  Astrolabe  and  Zelie  might  realize  the 
anticipations  entertained  by  the  former  ministers  of  the  marine, 
and  that  to  France  and  to  his  reign  may  redound  the  glory  of 
having  approached  the  nearest  to  the  antarctic  pole.  A  reward  is 
promised  to  the  sailors,  should  they  extend  their  voyage  so  far  as 
the  seventy-fifth  degree,  and  this  reward  will  be  augmented  in 
proportion  to  each  degree  obtained  beyond  this  designation.  '  In 
case  they  should  approach  to  the  pole,'  said  his  majesty,  with  en- 
thusiasm, '  then  everything  will  be  granted  to  the  sailors  that  they 
may  demand.'" 

Now,  sir,  does  this  account  of  the  "  enthusiasm"  of  his  majesty 
arouse  no  spirit  of  rivalry  in  your  breast  ?  Does  it  not  suggest 
an  occasion  for  the  American  minister  of  marine  to  do  one  act  in 
his  official  career  that  shall  save  the  pages  of  his  biography  from 
being  consigned  to  the  trunkmakers'  and  pastrycooks'  shops  ? 
What  is  there  that  you  can  do  to  accomplish  such  a  miracle  ?  I 
will  tell  you.  Just  draw  up  a  spirited  little  report,  asking  of  Con- 
gress the  authorization  of  a  reward  to  be  given  to  the  officers  and 
men  of  the  expedition  for  attaining  the  seventy-fifth  degree  south, 
with  an  appropriate  increase  for  each  additional  degree  even  to 
that  point  where  all  the  meridians  terminate ;  where  our  eagle  and 
star-spangled  banner  may  be  unfurled  and  planted^  and  left  to 
wave  at  the  very  pole  itself  / 

Do  but  this,  and 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  407 

"  Then  time  shall  render  to  you 
The  justice  that  is  due  you, 
Till  the  very  state  that  grew  you 

Stares  in  wonder." 

Sir,  throughout  all  the  numbers  constituting  your  defence  in  this 
controversy  you  have  been  determined,  from  some  motive  inexpli- 
cable to  me,  that  the  parties  engaged  in  it  should  not  remain  un- 
known to  the  public.  Of  this  I  do  not  complain,  but  have  en- 
deavoured to  gratify  your  wish  by  gently  intimating  to  the  com- 
munity the  high  source  to  which  it  was  indebted  for  those  mas- 
terly and  statesman-like  papers  bearing  the  signature  of  "  A  Friend 
to  the  Navy."  It  would  be  uncandid  in  me,  therefore,  under 
present  circumstances,  to  affect  that  you  were  incorrect  in  as- 
cribing to  the  individual  you  have  designated  the  authorship  of 
the  articles  over  the  signature  of  "  Citizen."  This  avowal  made, 
I  shall  reply  to  your  remarks  personal  with  the  directness  they 
seem  to  require  ;  having  hitherto  abstained  from  answering  them 
with  the  intention  of  disposing  of  them  en  masse.  The  following 
is  from  your  No.  I. 

"  This  anpry  '  Citizen'  is  no  doubt  Mr. ,  who  has  succeed- 
ed in  producing  an  impression  through  the  country  that  this  is 
his  expedition ;  an  impression  much  strengthened  by  the  publica- 
tion in  October  last  of  his  address  delivered  on  the  third  of  April 
of  last  year  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives,"  &c.,  &c. 

Here  is  a  grave  charge  made  by  a  personage  high  in  place, 
and  the  document  containing  its  alleged  proof  is  named.  Now, 
sir,  on  page  ninety-eight  of  this  said  address,  which  lay  open  be- 
fore you  when  you  made  an  extract  from  the  opposite  page, 
ninety-nine,  is  contained  a  declaration  of  my  motives  of  action ; 
and  I  defy  you,  or  any  parasite  under  your  control,  to  point  out 
a  single  act  of  mine  which  has  not  been  in  conformity  with  the 
spirit  and  letter  of  the  sentiments  therein  expressed  ;  they  read  as 
follows : 

"  We  have  no  narrow  and  exclusive  feelings  to  be  gratified, 
We  wish  to  see  the  expedition  sail  solely  because  of  the  good  it 
may  do  and  the  honour  it  may  confer  on  the  country  at  large. 

"  For  the  same  reason  we  wish  to  see  it  organized  on  liberal 
and  enlightened  principles,  which  object  can  be  effected  only  by 
calling  in  requisition  the  known  skill  of  the  service,  which  will 

"  ,      '   :;'''1:V  '•••-•*  - 


408  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

be  found  equal  to  the  discharge  of  every  duty  in  any  way  con- 
nected with  the  naval  profession. 

"  But  this  should  not  be  all.  To  complete  its  efficiency,  indi- 
viduals from  other  walks  of  life,  we  repeat,  should  be  appointed 
to  participate  in  its  labours.  No  professional  pique,  no  petty  jeal- 
ousies, should  be  allowed  to  defeat  this  object.  The  enterprise 
should  be  national  in  its  object,  and  sustained  by  the  national 
means ;  belongs  of  right  to  no  individual,  or  set  of  individuals, 
but  to  the  country,  and  the  whole  country ;  and  he  who  does  not 
view  it  in  this  light,  or  could  not  enter  it  with  this  spirit,  would 
not  be  very  likely  to  meet  the  public  expectations  were  he  in- 
trusted with  the  entire  control. 

"  To  indulge  in  jealousies,  or  feel  undue  solicitude  about  the 
division  of  honours  before  they  are  won,  is  the  appropriate  em- 
ployment of  carpet  heroes,  in  whatever  walk  of  life  they  may  be 
found.  The  qualifications  of  such  would  fit  them  better  to  thread 
the  mazes  of  the  dance,  or  to  shine  in  the  saloon,  than  to  venture 
upon  an  enterprise  requiring  men,  in  the  most  emphatic  sense  of 
the  term." 

Having,  as  I  trust,  satisfactorily  disposed  of  this  point,  I  pro- 
ceed to  notice  your  remark,  that  "  the  extravagances  of  Mr. 

have  created  many  difficulties  in  fitting  but  this  expedition ;  yet 
all  can  be  obviated  if  he  will  be  content  with  the  distinguished 
and  lucrative  situation  assigned  him  in  the  same." 

Sir,  is  it  your  wish  to  enter  into  a  full  discussion  in  reference 
to  the  position  you  have  assigned  me,  as  compared  with  the  ori- 
ginal appointment  given  me  by  President  Jackson  ?  Are  you 
willing  that  I  should  publish  our  correspondence  on  this  point  ? 
Are  you  ambitious  that  the  public  should  know  how  magnani- 
mously you  have  acted  in  the  premises  ?  I  apprehend  not ;  but, 
if  you  are,  at  a  proper  time  you  shall  be  gratified.  I  never  did, 
I  will  not  at  present,  obtrude  any  matter  personal  to  myself  upon 
the  public.  That  the  expedition  should  be  efficiently  organized, 
and  placed  in  proper  hands,  I  have  ever  deemed  a  point  of  in- 
finitely more  importance  than  the  station  I  should  hold  in  it,  or 
that  I  should  accompany  it  at  all.  To  effect  that  object,  and  to 
prevent  you  from  destroying  the  enterprise,  have  my  humble  but 
best  efforts  been  at  all  times  directed  ;  and  this,  I  apprehend,  has 
been  "  the  head  and  front  of  my  offending." 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  409 

Nor  will  I  allow  you  to  justify  any  portion  of  your  hostility  to 
the  expedition  on  the  unsustained  assumption  that  I  have  created 
difficulties  or  thrown  obstacles  in  the  way  of  its  earlier  comple- 
tion. As,  however,  you  have  chosen  to  speak  of  "  the  distin- 
guished and  lucrative  situation  assigned  me"  I  cannot  refrain 
from  informing  you  that  I  feel  no  pride  in  the  distinction  your  ap- 
pointment confers  on  me  ;  that  I  would  not  turn  upon  my  heel  to 
preserve  it ;  and  that  you  are  at  liberty  to  take  it  back  when  you 
please  ;  nay,  more,  that  it  is  your  duty  to  do  so,  if  you  were  sin- 
cere in  saying  that  I  "  have  created  many  difficulties  in  fitting  out 
the  expedition." 

Why,  sir,  if  you  were  consistent,  the  very  charges  you  bring 
against  me  ought  to  make  me  your  greatest  favourite.  When,  un- 
til in  this  instance,  did  you  ever  complain  of  any  one  for  throwing 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  expedition  ?  Indeed,  rumour  says — 
and  I  have  seen  some  things  which  went  far  in  confirmation  of 
the  thousand-tongued  goddess  having  for  once  spoken  truth — that 
those  who  threw  most  impediments  in  the  way  of  the  enterprise 
have  been  favoured  with  distinguishing  marks  of  your  regard, 
and  have  obtained  from  you  almost  anything  for  which  they 
asked ;  and,  further,  that,  until  very  lately,  the  surest  passport  to 
your  good  graces  was  to  attack  the  exploring  expedition.  I  have 
heard  it  asserted  that  this  ruse  has  been  practised  more  than  once, 
and  always  with  the  same  distinguished  success. 

You  say,  in  the  conclusion  of  your  third  number,  that  I  have 
not  only  contrived  to  render  myself  ridiculous,  "  but  to  throw 
some  degree  of  ridicule  upon  the  present  exploring  expedition  ;" 
and  that  "  to  divert  this  ridicule  from  the  officers  of  the  navy 
who  may  embark  in  this  expedition,  and  to  confine  it  to  its  proper 
source,  and  to  show  that  the  scientific  corps  selected  are  not  of 
the  school  of  the  savan  in  question,  shall  be  the  peculiar  care  of 
A  Friend  to  the  Navy."  Sir,  this  manifesto  of  your  "  peculiar" 
intentions  does  not  surprise  me.  It  is  only  in  perfect  keeping 
with  your  "  peculiar"  line  of  conduct  towards  me  from  the  begin- 
ning ;  and  I  should  feel  surprised  if  it  were  not  continued  to  the 
end.  I  expect  nothing  from  your  magnanimity  or  your  justice  ! 

As  regards  my  attainments,  I  am  free  to  own  they  are  far  from 
equalling  my  wishes,  and  by  no  means  what  I  yet  hope  to  make 
them.     Nevertheless,  humble  as  they  are,  I  can  feel  little  anxiety 
8 


410  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

as  to  their  estimate  by  one  who  could  not,  in  all  probability,  find 
his  way  across  the  Atlantic  if  put  to  the  test ;  or  give  the  number 
of  cubic  inches  in  a  sapling  six  feet  in  length  and  four  inches  in 
diameter,  though  the  emoluments  of  his  office  depended  on  the 
result ;  one,  the  barren  records  of  whose  entire  public  life  afford 
not  a  solitary  instance  of  a  useful  measure  originated  or  a  single 
patriotic  sacrifice  made  in  furtherance  of  the  public  good. 
With  great  respect, 

I  have  the  honour  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

New- York,  September  23,  1837. 


X. 


Exploring  Expedition. — We  invite  the  attention  of  all  our  readers,  but  more  particularly 
the  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  to  the  letter  of  "  A  Citizen"  addressed  to 
the  secretary  of  the  navy  in  this  day's  paper.  It  will  be  followed  by  two  others ;  and 
upon  the  facts  which  these  letters  will  bring  before  the  public  we  are  perfectly  willing 
that  the  merits  and  demerits  of  the  expedition,  as  now  organized,  should  rest. — Editor  of 
the  New-York  Courier  and  Enquirer. 

To  the  Honourable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

SIR, 

When  I  had  closed  my  ninth  letter,  addressed  to  you  through 
the  New- York  Times,  I  felt  that  kind  of  pleasure  which  the  mind 
experiences  when  an  unpleasant,  but,  at  the  same  time,  a  necessa- 
ry duty  has  been  performed.  In  my  correspondence  with  you, 
through  the  medium  alluded  to,  I  took  occasion  to  speak  of  your 
official  conduct,  as  connected  with  the  South  Sea  surveying  and 
exploring  expedition,  with  the  directness  which  the  subject  seemed 
to  require.  I  charged  you  with  official  delinquency,  and,  in  a  se- 
ries of  letters,  I  went  into  detail  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that 
1<he  charge  was  well  founded.  Through  the  same  channel  in  which 
my  communications  appeared  you  replied,  by  way  of  defence,  in 
four  numbers,  over  the  signature  of  "A  Friend  to  the  Navy." 
The  controversy  became  troublesome  to  you,  and  I  desisted,  de- 
lighted with  the  thought  that  I  should  not  again  have  occasion  to 
address  you.  But  I  was  mistaken.  The  expedition  has  not  yet 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN*  411 

sailed.  Your  annual  report  shows  the  quo  animo  with  which  you 
still  regard  it.  New  commissions  are  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  it ; 
the  delusive  impression  is  still  to  be  kept  alive,  that  a  reduction 
of  its  force  would  render  it  more  efficient  and  more  likely  to  se- 
cure the  important  objects  for  which  it  was  authorized.  Is  this 
true  ?  Why  are  you  not  more  explicit  ?  Why  do  you  not  state 
what  force  you  would  substitute,  and  show  the  manner  in  which 
the  great  purposes  of  the  enterprise  can  be  fulfilled  by  that  force  ? 
Sir,  there  is  no  organization  that  would  suit  you.  I  remember 
that,  three  years  ago,  you  were  hostile  to  the  measure  in  every 
shape  and  form.  I  recollect  that  the  year  following,  when  the 
legislature  of  New-Jersey  passed  a  resolution  recommending  it  to 
the  favourable  notice  of  Congress,  you  so  modified  your  hostility 
as  to  consent  to  have  the  word  "  exploration"  inserted  in  the  gen- 
eral navy  appropriation  bill  for  1836.  You  would  not,  even  then, 
listen  to  the  suggestion  of  an  expedition  being  especially  provided 
for,  but  said  you  would  send  out  one  or  two  small  vessels,  to  act 
under  the  orders  of  the  commanders  of  the  Pacific  squadron. 
These  were  your  enlarged  notions  of  a  great  national  enterprise  ; 
an  enterprise  in  which  we  were  to  make  our  debut  in  the  field  of 
maritime  discovery;  and  these  opinions  you  expressed  in  my 
presence,  and  in  conversation  with  me. 

Sir,  the  truth  is,  and  of  this  you  are  well  aware,  that,  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end,  in  your  private  as  well  as  official  capacity, 
you  have  been  an  enemy  to  the  undertaking,  and  never  omitted 
any  effort  that  could  retard  or  tend  to  defeat  it.  I  do  not  assert 
that  you  have  been  bold  and  manly  in  your  opposition.  Far  from 
it.  At  first  your  attack  was  open  ;  but,  as  the  current  of  public 
opinion  began  to  set  strongly  in  favour  of  the  measure,  and  the 
pride,  and  intelligence,  and  science  of  the  country  became  enlisted 
in  its  behalf,  your  opposition  assumed  a  more  covert  form.  You 
now,  on  many  occasions,  professed  yourself  friendly  to  the  expe- 
dition, but  then  all  was  wrong  about  it;  another  organization 
would  have  been  the  right  one ;  and  every  available  incident  was 
made  a  plea  for  delay.  If  an  officer  wished  to  disconnect  him- 
self from  the  exploring  squadron,  his  wish  was  almost  anticipa- 
ted ;  if  another,  from  Missouri,  was  desirous  of  joining  it,  he  could 
have  permission  to  do  so,  provided  he  bore  his  own  expenses  to 
Boston.  Was  an  excuse  wanted  for  the  tardiness  of  your  depart 


412  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

merit  in  despatching  vessels  to  other  stations,  the  expedition  fur- 
nished it.  Did  matters  look  threatening  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
no  vessel  was  so  well  fitted  to  protect  our  commerce  in  that  quar- 
ter as  the  Macedonian.  Did  the  political  horizon  betoken  a  squall 
in  the  direction  of  Mexico,  the  exploring  vessels  must  be  kept  at 
home  to  fight.  The  banks-  suspended  specie  payments,  and 
straightway  the  difficulty  of  procuring  a  large  amount  in  specie 
to  send  out  in  the  ships  was  a  mountain  not  to  be  got  over,  though, 
in  sober  truth,  twenty,  or,  at  the  most,  thirty  thousand  dollars 
would  have  been  an  ample  supply.  Thus  have  you  gone  on,  vir- 
tually trampling  upon  the  laws  of  Congress,  and  setting  at  defiance 
the  wishes  of  the  whole  country.  That  a  day  of  reckoning  is  at 
hand  is  the  prevailing  opinion,  but  with  that  matter  I  have  nothing 
to  do.  I  have  only  been  induced  to  take  up  my  pen  by  the  pe- 
rusal of  your  annual  report,  and  shall  confine  myself  to  an  exam- 
ination of  that  specious  and  hollow  document. 

In  looking  over  that  portion  of  your  report  in  which  you  speak 
of  the  fiscal  concerns  of  the  expedition,  I  find  that  the  three  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  appropriated  by  Congress  in  May,  1836, 
was  all  expended  in  preparing  the  vessels.  This  is  a  serious  item, 
and  makes  a  heavy  account  against  the  enterprise.  But  the  state- 
ment is  only  calculated  to  mislead  the  public.  Let  it  be  remem- 
bered that  sixty-two  thousand  dollars  of  this  sum  went  to  the 
completion  of  the  frigate  Macedonian  ;  an  amount  which  would 
have  been  required  from  the  treasury  for  the  same  object  under 
any  other  head.  The  store-ship  Relief  was  on  the  stocks  before 
the  measure  was  authorized ;  the  sum  necessary  to  finish  that 
vessel  was  nearly  as  large  as  that  which  had  been  required  for 
completing  the  Macedonian,  and  it  would  have  been  expended 
under  any  circumstances.  In  addition  to  these  vessels,  two  brigs 
of  two  hundred  and  thirty  tons  each,  and  a  schooner  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  tons,  were  built,  which  consumed  the  residue  of 
the  three  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Now  the  two  brigs  have  been 
compactly  and  strongly  constructed.  They  will  last  twenty  years, 
and  can  be  advantageously  used  as  transports,  or  on  other  duty, 
and  may  be  thus  employed  whether  they  do  or  do  not  sail  on  the 
specific  service  for  which  they  were  intended.  The  schooner  Pilot 
is  not  worth  what  she  cost ;  but  to  whom  is  the  fault  attributable  ? 
We  shall  see  anon. 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  413 

Thus  it  becomes  evident  that,  in  the  disbursement  of  the  first 
appropriation,  the  country  has  sustained  no  loss  ;  that  two  ships, 
partially  built,  have  been  finished  by  the  application  of  this  fund, 
and  two  other  vessels  added  to  our  naval  force.  It  is  true  that 
the  cost  of  labour  put  upon  these  vessels  appears  very  high,  being 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  one  hundred  per  cent,  more  than  the  same  work 
could  have  been  done  for  in  a  private  shipyard.  But  this,  if  a 
fault,  is  to  be  charged  to  the  manner  in  which  the  public  work  is 
done,  and  cannot  be  attributed  to  the  expedition,  or  to  any  one 
connected  with  it.  If  the  vessels  are  not  framed  after  the  most 
approved  plan,  to  whom  should  the  blame  be  imputed  ?  I  have 
heard  it  whispered  that  the  first  designs  made  by  the  naval  con- 
structer  for  the  model  of  these  craft  were  altered.  If  so,  by 
whom  ?  Certainly  not  by  Commodore  Jones.  I  have  before  me 
a  copy  of  a  letter  from  that  officer  to  the  naval  artificer,  where  he 
asks  for  vessels  in  which  good  sailing,  good  storage,  and  good 
accommodations  should  be  combined ;  and  not  one  of  these  qual- 
ities was  to  be  sacrificed  to  another.  In  this  letter  he  says  no- 
thing about  length,  breadth,  or  model,  but  leaves  all  these  matters 
to  be  settled  in  the  quarter  where  they  are  usually  decided.  If 
the  schooner  Pilot  be  unfit  for  the  service  for  which  she  was  ex- 
pressly built,  the  Active  ought  to  have  been  furnished  in  her  stead 
without  additional  charge,  as  a  tailor  would  furnish  a  new  garment 
in  the  place  of  one  that  did  riot  fit  when  made  to  order.  If  the 
brigs  be  what  they  ought  to  be,  then  they  are,  under  any  circum- 
stances, worth  to  government  what  they  cost ;  that  is,  as  much 
as  anything  made  in  our  public  yards  is  worth  what  it  cost ;  if 
the'y  are  not  what  they  should  be,  then  there  has  been  bad  man- 
agement in  some  quarter,  and  the  friends  of  the  expedition  are 
not  responsible.  So  much,  then,  for  the  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars  of  the  million  and  a  half  which  this  prodigal  undertaking 
is  to  cost  the  nation. 

After  showing  what  was  the  outlay  for  these  vessels,  and  char- 
ging what  had  been  expended  in  finishing  the  Macedonian  and 
Relief  (already  under  way),  as  well  as  the  amount  disbursed  for 
the  construction  of  the  smaller  craft,  to  the  account  of  the  expedi- 
tion, you  have  carefully  added  the  sum  which  would  be  necessary 
for  the  support  of  the  squadron  during  the  three  years  of  its  con- 
templated absence,  and  appear  to  have  felt  increased  strength,  as 


414  LETTERS    OF    A   CITIZEN. 

you  again  threw  the  whole  weight  of  the  department  against  the 
measure  in  the  following  sentence  : 

"  As  this  statement  of  facts  could  leave  no  doubt  that  the  ex- 
ploring expedition  would  cost  nearly,  if  not  quite,  a  million  and  a 
half  of  dollars,  and  as  it  greatly  exceeded  in  number  of  vessels  and 
men  the  ?nost  successful  expeditions  of  like  character  heretofore  sent 
out  by  the  maritime  powers  of  Europe,  it  was  believed  that  its 
amount  would  have  been  reduced  by  withholding  a  part  of  the  ap- 
propriation asked  for  by  the  estimate.  This,  however,  was  not 
deemed  expedient,  and  the  full  appropriations  were  made  by  an 
act  of  the  third  of  March  last." 

Now,  sir,  with  all  due  deference,  I  take  up  this  assumption, 
which  is  unsustained  by  a  single  argument,  and  am  prepared  to  show 
that  the  exploring  expedition,  as  authorized  by  Congress  and  sanc- 
tioned by  the  late  executive,  in  its  naval  and  scientific  departments, 
in  all  that  it  is  designed  to  effect,  courts  investigation,  and  will  bear 
it.  The  more  closely  it  is  compared  with  what  the  maritime 
powers  of  Europe  have  done  ;  the  more  it  is  examined  and  un- 
derstood by  a  careful  analysis  of  our  interest  in  and  our  knowledge 
of  the  seas  where  its  labours  are  to  be  performed,  and  an  inquiry 
if  the  present  force  be  not  properly  adapted  to  the  faithful  perform- 
ance of  its  labours,  the  more  will  its  friends  be  strengthened  in 
their  position.  On  the  other  hand,  those  who  have  not  had  leisure 
to  examine  the  subject  in  detail,  or  have  been  misled  by  your  ob- 
jections, ill-founded  as  they  are,  will  perceive  that  the  great  na- 
tional objects  to  be  attained  would  justify  an  increase  rather  than 
warrant  a  diminution  of  the  force  at  present  prepared  ;  and  which, 
but  for  your  hostility  to  the  whole  enterprise,  might  ere  now  have 
been  in  the  field  of  its  usefulness,  engaged  in  those  investigations 
which  our  interest  and  our  honour  equally  require  should  be  made. 

And  what,  sir,  are  the  arguments  at  this  day  in  favour  of  the 
design  ?  They  have  been  again  and  again  set  forth  in  able  reports 
from  committees  in  Congress,  and  are  understood  by  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  whole  country;  but  nevertheless  they  receive  no 
consideration  from  you.  It  is  humiliating  to  have  occasion  to 
recur  to  them  at  this  late  period,  and  I  shall  do  so  as  concisely  as 
possible.  No  portion  of  the  commerce  of  the  nation  is  more  im- 
portant than  that  carried  on  in  the  seas  which  it  is  to  be  the  chief 
duty  of  the  expedition  to  survey  and  explore.  At  the  lowest  esti- 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  415 

mate,  twelve  millions  of  active  capital  are  involved  in  one  branch 
of  the  whale-fishery,  and  there  are  employed  in  the  whole  busi- 
ness, directly  and  indirectly,  not  less  than  sixty  millions  of  prop- 
erty, twelve  thousand  seamen,  and  from  one  hundred  and  sixty  to 
one  hundred  and  seventy  thousand  tons  of  shipping.  The  annual 
income  to  the  United  States  from  this  source  is  between  five  and 
six  millions  of  dollars.  It  is  to  the  protection  and  safety  of  this 
important  interest  that  the  expedition  has  a  direct  reference,  as 
has  been  again  and  again  stated  in  memorials  to  Congress.  The 
whaling  business  is  chiefly  carried  on  in  seas  more  remote  and 
less  accurately  known  than  any  other  regions  visited  by  our  ves- 
sels. Hundreds  upon  hundreds  of  islands  and  reefs  existing  there 
have  no  place  or  name  on  our  latest  and  most  approved  charts. 
For  instance,  there  are  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
islands  in  the  Fiji  group  alone,  not  one  of  which  can  be  found, 
with  sailing  instructions,  on  any  map  or  chart  hitherto  published. 
With  this  group  we  have  had  no  inconsiderable  trade  in  native  pro- 
ductions suitable  to  the  Chinese  market ;  and  the  amount  of  prop- 
erty lost  there  from  the  want  of  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
locality  of  the  islands  would  pay  a  goodly  portion  of  the  expen- 
ses of  the  expedition.  More  than  one  hundred  mariners,  American 
seamen,  have  been  shipwrecked,  and  a  large  majority  of  them 
sacrificed  to  the  murderous  cruelty  of  the  natives  at  the  Fiji  Islands 
alone,  while  we  have  never  endeavoured  to  overawe  the  savages 
by  any  demonstration  of  our  power,  or  tried  to  conciliate  them  by 
kindness. 

Let  us  suppose,  for  a  moment,  that  the  exploring  squadron  has 
arrived  at  New-Zealand ;  perhaps  the  best  point  from  which  to 
commence  its  operations,  either  north  or  south.  Stretching  to  the 
northward,  the  Fijis  would  command  immediate  attention.  How 
could  the  present  force  be  employed  in  that  archipelago  ?  The 
frigate  would  not  be  engaged  in  sounding  among  the  coral  reefs ; 
she  might  take  her  station  in  succession  at  the  principal  islands, 
and  with  her  boats  and  launch,  to  the  latter  of  which  has  been  af- 
fixed a  compact,  well-made  engine,  of  five  horse  power,  provided 
by  the  prudential  forecast  of  Commodore  Jones,  might  survey  the 
principal  harbours  of  the  largest  island,  and  of  all  others  within 
twenty  or  thirty  miles,  while  the  minor  vessels  would  be  de- 
Bpatched  on  more  distant  surveys  to  the  other  portions  of  the 


416  LFTTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

group.  The  frigate  would  be  the  headquarters,  from  whence  all 
subsidiary  expeditions  would  depart,  and  to  which  all  returns 
would  be  made.  On  board  of  her  the  charts  would  be  prepared 
from  the  notes  and  observations  of  surveying  parties;  and  from 
her  the  smaller  vessels  would  receive  protection,  and  every  facility 
in  the  execution  of  the  duties  allotted  to  them.  Upon  her  decks, 
or  by  her  officers  on  shore,  conferences  might  be  held  with  the 
native  chiefs  ;  and  if  by  a  mild,  conciliatory  deportment  their  con- 
fidence could  not  be  won,  the  formidable  aspect  of  such  a  vessel 
would  overawe  and  restrain  them.  If  one  of  the  smaller  craft, 
while  engaged  in  surveys  among  the  islands  or  while  in  a  high 
latitude  during  the  few  months  of  the  southern  summer  when  it 
would  be  proper  to  trust  her  there,  should  sustain  any  damage,  she 
could  fall  back  upon  the  frigate,  as  upon  a  friendly  haven,  for  suc- 
cour and  repairs.  Shipwrecked  mariners  now  in  captivity  might 
be  rescued,  and  their  deliverance  would,  probably,  be  accomplished 
by  the  mere  exhibition  of  a  force  adequate  to  compel  their  libera- 
tion. The  sick  from  the  store-ship,  brigs,  or  schooner,  might  be 
made  more  comfortable  on  board  the  frigate,  while  from  her  crew 
their  places  could  be  supplied  with  fresh  hands. 

The  two  largest  islands  in  the  Fiji  cluster  are  Navihictevoo  to 
the  south,  and  Fikanova  to  the  north,  both  of  which  contain  fine 
harbours.  These  would  form  at  different  times,  according  to 
their  proximity  to  the  scene  of  action,  the  rendezvous  of  the  ex- 
pedition, while  the  hydrographical  and  scientific  labours  were  go- 
ing on,  by  means  of  the  frigate's  boats  and  the  smaller  vessels,  in 
the  various  portions  of  the  group.  This  archipelago  of  islands  is 
not  a  mere  collection  of  barren  reefs  and  sandbanks,  but  it  is  inhab- 
ited by,  it  is  supposed,  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  natives,  of 
whom,  as  well  as  of  the  varied  produce  of  their  country,  we  pos- 
sess no  authentic  information.  And  yet,  from  a  single  port  in  the 
United  States,  we  have  had  near  a  dozen  vessels  engaged,  as  al- 
ready stated,  in  procuring  from  the  members  of  this  cluster  such 
articles  as  were  suitable  to  the  China  market.  In  exchange  for 
these,  rich  returns  have  been  made  to  this  country,  the  duties  on 
which  have  for  years  added  to  our  national  revenue.  But  these 
are  matters  you  have  studiously  kept  out  of  sight  in  all  your  re- 
ports. If  you  were  ignorant  of  the  facts,  which,  in  charity,  I  have 
sometimes  been  tempted  to  believe,  that  you  are  not  disposed 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  417 

to  become  acquainted  with  them  I  know  from  the  circumstance 
that  you  have  avowed  your  intention  not  to  look  at  the  memorials 
to  Congress  praying  for  the  expedition,  nor  to  the  reports  of  com- 
mittees setting  forth  its  objects,  while  making  up  your  mind  of 
what  the  material  and  personel  of  the  enterprise  should  consist, 
when  it  was  to  sail,  and  what  it  was  to  do. 

Putting  the  case  that  the  exploring  squadron  had  accomplished 
all  that  was  necessary  to  be  done  at  the  Fiji  Islands,  where  would 
you  next  direct  its  course  ?  In  every  direction  from  that  point  it 
would  find  duties  to  perform  ;  but  I  wish  to  bring  you  down  from 
your  generalities  to  something  specific,  and,  therefore,  repeat, 
where  would  you  next  direct  its  course  ?  Perhaps  it  is  not  re- 
spectful in  me  to  propose  this  question,  recollecting,  as  I  do,  that 
your  knowledge  of  geography  and  our  interest  in  the  seas  to 
which  I  refer  only  enabled  you  to  name  three  places  on  the  globe 
in  your  general  instructions  for  the  guidance  of  the  expedition, 
and  all  of  these  as  well  known  as  the  port  of  Brazil,  the  Falkland 
Islands,  or  New-Zealand. 

About  seven  hundred  miles  northeast  from  the  Fijis  lies  the 
Navigator  Group.  Let  this  be  considered  the  next  point  of  gen- 
eral rendezvous.  In  the  passage  thither  the  lesser  vessels  might 
vary  their  routes,  touching  at  and  fixing  the  positions  of  the  west- 
erly and  least  known  portions  of  the  Friendly  Islands ;  while  the 
frigate  might  show  herself  in  the  principal  harbours,  hold  commu- 
nications with  the  natives,  and,  by  so  doing,  promote  the  interest 
and  add  to  the  security  of  our  shipping  in  that  quarter.  The  Samoa, 
or  Navigator's  Group,  was  discovered  by  the  French  circumnavi- 
gator, Bougainville,  in  1678,  and  again  visited  by  La  Peyrouse  in 
1788,  more  than  a  century  afterward.  M.  de  Langle,  the  com- 
panion of  La  Peyrouse,  with  a  number  of  his  men,  were  killed  by 
the  islanders.  In  consequence  of  this  catrastrophe,  an  impression 
prevailed  for  many  years  that  these  islands  could  not  with  safety 
be  visited.  Nothing  to  be  relied  on  in  the  hydrography  was 
given  by  the  French  discoverers  ;  and  Kotzebue,  who  touched  at 
this  group  subsequently,  did  not  correct  a  single  error  of  his  pre- 
decessors. Even  Norie,  in  his  epitome,  gives  the  names  of  the 
islands  different  from  those  they  bear  on  his  charts  of  the  Pacific, 
and  neither  are  correct.  This  archipelago  consists  -of  eight  isl- 
ands, and  contains  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand 


418  LETTERS    OF  A    CITIZEN. 

inhabitants.  So  far  from  it  being  unsafe  to  hold  intercourse  with 
them,  the  natives  are  now  known  to  be  among  the  most  docile  of 
the  Pacific  islanders.  It  was  formerly  supposed  that  there  were 
no  harbours  in  this  group.  This  is  not  so ;  Tutuila  has  two,  in 
one  of  which  the  Pennsylvania,  and,  of  course,  the  Macedonian, 
might  ride  at  anchor.  Opolu  is  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two 
hundred  miles  in  circumference,  and  has  a  fine  haven  open  to 
the  north.  The  bottom  is  sandy,  and  within  twenty  yards  of 
the  shore  there  are  five  fathoms  water.  A  small  river  disem- 
bogues into  the  bay.  One  would  imagine  the  Macedonian  might 
get  into  such  a  harbour  without  much  difficulty.  The  largest 
member  of  the  cluster  is  Savaii,  which  is  at  least  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  in  circumference,  with  lofty  mountains,  which  may 
be  seen  at  the  distance  of  seventy  miles. 

Thus  it  appears,  sir,  that  one  of  the  most  considerable,  as  well 
as  the  most  populous  groups  in  the  Pacific,  lying  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  Society  and  Fiji  Islands,  and  in  the  same  range  with 
the  New-Hebrides,  New-Caledonia,  &c.,rich  in  all  the  productions 
of  the  tropics,  remains  to  this  day,  so  far  as  a  minute  and  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  it  is  concerned,  a  terra  incognita.  Yes,  sir, 
and  this  is  not  all ;  it  lies  in  the  very  track  of  our  great  whaling 
operations,  and  a  survey  of  its  fine  harbours — valuable  from  their 
abundant  supply  of  all  the  varied  productions  of  the  tropics — 
would  be  of  immediate  and  incalculable  advantage  to  our  fisheries 
and  other  commercial  interests  in  that  quarter. 

Thus  might  I  proceed,  sir,  if  the  limits  within  which  I  must 
confine  myself  would  permit,  to  enumerate  the  islands  and  clus- 
ters of  islands  which  the  expedition  should  visit.  I  might  show 
how  our  trade  could  be  rendered  more  secure,  as  well  as  greatly 
increased,,  by  opening  new  markets  for  our  agricultural  and  man- 
ufacturing productions.  Yes,  sir,  augmented  to  an  extent  of 
which  you  probably  never  dreamed,  or,  at  least,  if  you  had  any 
idea  of  it,  you  carefully  kept  your  knowledge  perdu  while  speak- 
ing of  the  expedition.  It  were  an  easy  matter  also  to  show  how 
one  or  two  of  the  minor  vessels  might  arid  ought  to  make  their 
way  south  during  the  most  favourable  months  of  the  southern 
summer,  and  afterward,  on  the  approach  of  winter  in  the  southern 
hemisphere,  fall  back  to  participate  in  the  surveys  going  on  among 
the  islands.  By  these  efforts  to  reach  high  southern  latitudes,  re- 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  419 

peated  each  year  on  different  meridians,  great  acquisitions  could 
and  would  be  made  to  our  present  knowledge  of  the  southern 
seas,  and  the  nation  would  be  reimbursed  for  its  outlay  by  the 
opening  of  new  channels  of  trade  in  animal  furs. 

Sir,  talk  as  you  may  about  the  expense  of  the  undertaking,  the 
country  owes  the  amount,  ten  times  told,  for  the  revenue  collected 
from  the  varied  trade  in  the  regions  alluded  to;  a  revenue  ob- 
tained without  the  expenditure  of  a  dollar  for  the  protection  of  the 
contributors  thereto.  But  even  if  the  debt  were  not  already  due 
to  the  unaided  enterprise  of  our  citizens,  the  benefits  which  must 
follow  would  repay,  with  noble  interest,  the  expenses  incurred. 
Who,  then,  that  looks  at  the  great  national  purposes  to  be  attained, 
will  assert  that  the  force  prepared  is  too  large  ?  Sir,  it  should  be 
increased  by  two  more  small  vessels  of  one  hundred  and  thirty 
tons  each,  if  any  alteration  be  made  ;  and  this,  too,  with  reference 
to  its  important  naval  and  hydrographical  labours,  which  are  the 
primary  and  paramount  objects  that  led  to  the  action  of  Congress. 
I  have  yet  to  speak  of  the  corps  of  naturalists  which  has  been  or- 
ganized. What,  in  harmonious  action  with  the  naval  officers, 
may  be  expected  from  that  corps  ?  I  undertake  to  show  that  no 
comparison  with  "  the  most  successful  expeditions  of  like  charac- 
ter heretofore  sent  out  by  the  maritime  powers  of  Europe"  will 
justify  a  reduction  of  their  numbers.  Sir,  I  will  go  into  the  com- 
parison anon  in  all  its  bearings,  and  you  shall  be  welcome  to 
all  the  support  you  can  draw  from  it.  Upon  the  issue  of  that 
comparison  the  friends  of  the  expedition  might  fearlessly  rest 
their  cause,  as  in  it  they  will  find  a  triumphant  vindication  of 
what  they  have  done  and  propose  to  do,  notwithstanding  the  com," 
mission  you  appointed  in  June  last  have  told  us  that,  had  they 
"  been  called  upon  before  any  preparations  had  been  made,  to 
state  the  number  and  character  of  the  vessels  which,  in  their 
opinion,  would  be  best  calculated  to  secure  the  attainment  of  these 
proposed  objects,  they  certainly  would  not  have  recommended 
those  which  have  been  prepared"  Sir,  I  am  astonished  that  you 
should  have  introduced  this  isolated  sentence  in  your  report  to 
the  president  and  Congress,  though  I  can  readily  perceive  the 
motive  for  doing  so.  What,  sir,  were  the  "  proposed  objects," 
for  the  attainment  of  which  that  board  of  officers  would  have  rec- 
ommended a  different  force  ?  The  public  will  see  when  the  in- 


420  LETTERS    OP   A   CITIZEN. 

formation  called  for  is  published.  In  your  instructions  to  that 
board,  sir,  you  kept  out  of  view  all  the  important  and  leading  op- 
erations to  be  performed  among  the  islands  of  the  Pacific.  You 
told  the  members  that  the  objects  of  the  expedition  were  to  go  as 
near  the  South  Pole  as  could  be  done  with  safety.  Confined  to 
that  branch  of  the  undertaking,  the  force  would  be  too  large ;  and 
the  commissioners,  governed  by  your  instructions,  did  right  in 
saying  so.  You  were  grievously  chagrined  at  not  being  seconded 
in  your  plan  of  mutilation  by  the  report  of  that  body,  and,  for  a 
time,  allowed  the  preparations  to  go  on  with  a  much  better  grace 
than  you  had  previously  done,  though  I  never  imagined  you 
would  permit  the  squadron  to  depart  before  the  meeting  of  the 
present  Congress.  The  condition  of  the  national  finances  prom- 
ised you  much;  while  the  possibility  that  Congress,  wearied 
and  disgusted  with  the  delay  and  expenses  already  incurred, 
might  allow  you  to  break  up  the  "  whole  concern,"  or  to  cripple 
and  send  it  out  on  a  scale  which  would  mar  its  usefulness,  was 
doubtless  a  source  of  self-complacent  reflection  to  you.  Other- 
wise how  shall  we  account  for  the  fact  that,  the  moment  you 
heard  of  the  greatly-to-be-regretted  indisposition  of  Commodore 
Jones,  you  renewed,  with  indecent  haste,  your  former  efforts  at 
cutting  down,  which,  with  you,  means  the  same  as  cutting  up  ? 
Instantly  another  commission  is  organized,  with  which  you  hope 
to  succeed,  though  disappointed  by  the  first.  Sir,  I  respectfully 
inquire,  what  instructions  have  you  given  this  new  commission  ? 
Have  you  presented  the  whole  subject,  in  all  its  bearings,  fully 
and  fairly?  Have  you  handed  in  the  correspondence  between 
Commodore  Jones  and  the  former  board  ?  If  you  have  done  this 
in  good  faith,  then  you  will  not  be  sustained.  If  you  have  not, 
the  report  will  be  made  on  a  partial  eocparte  statement,  and  will 
be  undeserving  the  consideration  which  the  opinion  of  the  officers 
selected,  under  other  circumstances,  would  be  entitled  to.  I  shall 
write  you  again. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

Very  respectfully,  your  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

New-York,  December  28, 1837. 


LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN.  421 

XI. 

To  the  Honourable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Nary. 

SIR, 

Perhaps  I  ought  to  apologize  for  affixing  your  name  to  the  head 
of  this  letter,  inasmuch  as  I  now  intend  to  speak  of  the  scientific 
labours  to  be  performed  by  individuals  attached  to  the  expedition. 
To  this  department  of  the  enterprise,  notwithstanding  all  your 
correspondence  with  learned  societies  and  your  many  professions, 
you  are  inveterately  hostile.  Well  do  you  know  that  the  very 
measures  you  are  at  present  urging  will  break  up  the  scientific 
corps,  and  render  nugatory  all  the  time  and  means  expended  in  its 
ample  preparations  ;  that  they  will  destroy  the  efficiency  of  the  hy- 
drographical  department,  in  which  the  naval  officers,  as  a  body, 
would  find  constant  and  arduous  professional  employment.  Of  the 
duties  of  the  latter,  as  regards  hydrography,  I  spoke  concisely  in 
my  last  letter.  With  no  complaint  from  the  people  in  any  quarter 
against  the  magnitude  or  expenses  of  the  undertaking,  as  now 
contemplated,  but,  on  the  contrary,  with  the  public  voice  every- 
where in  its  favour,  you  cannot  hope  to  escape  the  accountability 
to  which  your  official  action  has  subjected  you  ;  an  accountability 
that  few  men  woald  be  willing  to  incur  for  all  the  honours  and 
emoluments  of  your  office,  even  though  the  incumbent  might  hoard 
up  five  thousand  dollars  per  annum  ! 

I  have  asserted  that  you  were  hostile  to  the  scientific  corps, 
malgre  all  you  have  said  and  written  to  the  learned  upon  the  sub- 
ject. You  commenced  its  organization  with  extreme  reluctance ; 
and  it  is  notorious  that  you  used  the  most  extraordinary  efforts  to 
create  jealousies  between  its  members  and  the  naval  officers. 
When  the  principal  savans  were  selected,  having  first  been 
strongly  recommended  by  our  learned  societies,  their  appointment 
was  not  your  act,  but  the  credit  of  it  belongs  to  the  late  executive, 
who  compelled  you  tb  perform  this  galling  duty.  That  distin- 
guished individual  took  a  most  lively  interest  in  the  expedition ; 
and,  as  some  prominent  members  now  in  Congress,  as  well  as 
yourself,  are  perfectly  aware,  was  resolved  that,  so  far  as  he  was 
concerned,  it  should  be  sent  out  in  all  respects  worthy  of  the  na- 

NN 


422  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

lion  from  which  it  emanated.  You  spoke  to  him  of  what  other 
countries  had  done,  and  he  told  you  what  this  country  should  do. 
In  proof  of  his  design  that  the  enterprise  should  be  all  that  its 
best  friends  desired,  behold  your  own  words,  quoted  from  your 
annual  report  in  1 836,  in  which  you  vouch  for  the  late  president's 
liberal  sentiments  in  the  following  conclusive  statement : 

".4s,  however,  it  was  your  earnest  wish  that  the  intentions  oj 
Congress  in  authorizing  this  measure  should  be  carried  into  ef- 
fect with  the  least  possible  delay,  and  that  the  expedition  should 
befitted  out  on  the  extensive  and  liberal  scale  which  the  indica- 
tions of  public  opinion  seemed  to  require,"  &c.,  &c. 

And  how  have  you  fulfilled,  how  are  you  now  fulfilling,  the 
wishes  of  the  late  head  of  the  nation  ?  But  I  forbear  !  The  prin- 
cipal appointments  in  the  corps  were  made  twelve  months  ago, 
and  its  members  severally  accepted  their  commissions.  Relin- 
quishing all  other  employments,  they  held  themselves  in  readiness 
for  active  service  at  a  moment's  warning ;  and  Congress,  at  the 
last  session,  made  provision  for  their  pay  for  1837.  Some  of  these 
gentlemen  were  connected  with  the  most  respectable  institutions 
in  the  country ;  and  others,  to  my  knowledge,  had  refused  pro- 
fessorships. From  December  to  the  4th  of  July  last  you  kept 
them  in  suspense,  and  without  salary ;  although  each  of  them,  du- 
ring that  interval,  was  more  or  less  employed,  in  some  instances 
under  the  authority  of  your  department,  in  labours  having  direct 
reference  to  their  duties  as  members  of  the  scientific  corps. 

"  Thousands  at  his  bidding  speed, 
Who  post  o'er  land  and  ocean  without  rest : 
They  also  serve  who  only  stand  and  wait." 

But  I  waive,  for  the  present,  further  details  respecting  this  por- 
tion of  your  official  conduct,  as  I  wish  to  speak  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  corps. 

There  is  no  part  of  the  preparations  of  this  expedition,  sir,  more 
commendable,  in  every  respect,  than  the  arrangements  made  for 
scientific  research.  To  enlarge  on  the  utility  of  such  observation 
would  be  insulting  to  the  intelligence  of  all  who  pretend  to  keep 
pace  with  the  intellectual  progress  of  the  age.  The  science  of 
the  whole  country,  individually  and  collectively,  is  deeply  con- 
cerned in  the  result  of  the  expedition.  Its  votaries  have  looked 
forward  with  pride  to  the  not  distant  day  when  this  country  should 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  423 

wipe  off,  at  one  glorious  effort,  the  taunting  imputation  so  long 
cast  upon  her  character,  that  she  has  never  contributed  to  the  com- 
mon stock  of  knowledge  for  the  benefit  of  mankind,  while  she  was 
constantly  availing  herself  of  that  collected  by  others.  In  what 
manner  can  you  and  your  commissions  atone  to  the  nation  for  the 
frustration  of  these  hopes  ?  I  mean  to  treat  the  members  of  your 
recent  commission  as  I  treated  the  former,  with  courtesy  and  fair- 
ness. The  public,  however,  will  be  anxious  to  see  their  reports, 
and  the  instructions  under  which  they  acted.  With  the  evident 
effect,  if  not  with  the  design,  of  weakening  the  claims  of  the  ex- 
pedition, and  of  producing  disaffection  towards  it  in  the  naval  ser- 
vice, you  stated  in  your  annual  report  to  the  president  in  Decem- 
ber, 1836,  that  "scientific  researches  formed  the  most  important 
objects  of  the  expedition."  If  they  were  so,  why  did  you  not  in- 
vite one  or  two  individuals,  distinguished  for  their  scientific  at- 
tainments, to  meet  and  confer  with  your  late  commission  ?  This 
you  did  not  do,  and  we  shall  now  behold  your  efforts  to  carry  out 
the  views  of  the  body ;  which  views,  I  shall  be  able  to  show,  go 
to  defeat  the  very  designs  which,  you  have  said,  formed  the  im- 
portant objects  of  the  expedition.  Hence  it  becomes  necessary  to 
state  the  reasons  which  render  this  division  of  the  enterprise  pe- 
culiarly essential  to  the  accomplishment  of  its  desired  ends. 

The  expeditions  heretofore  sent  to  the  Pacific  have,  with  a  few 
unimportant  exceptions,  been  despatched  on  some  special  errand 
unconnected  with  general  exploration;  as  the  survey  of  some 
particular  coast,  harbours,  straits,  or  group,  the  observation  of 
some  phenomena  in  astronomy  or  physics,  the  opening  of  some 
new  channel  of  commerce,  or  the  like  ;  and,  of  course,  the  number 
of  naturalists  accompanying  them  was  proportioned  to  their  con- 
fined field  of  action.  Were  this  squadron  designed  merely  to 
touch  at  a  single  point,  or  only  to  visit  islands  already  partially 
explored,  the  number  of  naturalists  would  be  greater  than  neces- 
sary. But  the  actual  plan  of  this  undertaking  is,  you  must  own, 
altogether  different.  The  space  within  which  its  operations  will 
be  carried  on  may  be  said  to  extend  from  20°  north  of  the  equator  to 
the  farthest  attainable  point  south,  and  to  comprise  the  entire  breadth 
of  the  Pacific,  from  the  western  shores  of  South  America  to  the 
eastern  confines  of  Asia ;  for  over  the  whole  of  that  wide  expanse 
we  have  interests  afloat  exceeding  in  amount  those  of  all  the  mar 


424  LETTERS    OF  A    CITIZEN. 

itime  powers  of  Europe  combined.  This  vast  theatre  of  observa- 
tion embraces  islands  of  all  dimensions,  from  New-Holland  and 
New-Zealand  down  to  the  modest  coral  reef ;  and  includes  every 
climate,  from  the  prolific  torrid  zone  to  the  extreme  limits  of  ani- 
mal and  vegetable  life.  I  do  not  affirm  that  every  spot  deserving 
notice  can  be  examined  by  this  flotilla ;  far  from  it ;  but  I  do  say 
that  those  places  promising  the  richest  return  in  science,  and  most 
immediately  connected  with  our  commercial  marine,  can  be  visit- 
ed, if  the  expedition  shall  depart  unshorn  of  its  strength. 

If,  then,  the  intended  sphere  of  observation  be  more  extensive 
than  has  been  proposed  in  any  former  enterprise  attempted  by  the 
European  maritime  powers,  it  is  only  in  accordance  with  our  par- 
amount interests  ;  and  the  number  of  observers  should  be  corre- 
spondingly enlarged,  as  also  their  facilities  increased.  This  has 
been  done  by  the  selection  of  individuals,  most  of  whom  have 
given  evidence  of  their  qualifications  by  their  previous  labours ; 
and  all  of  whom,  as  before  stated,  have  received  the  recommen- 
dations of  persons  whose  authority  in  these  matters  is  conclusive. 

Let  us  then  take  a  glance  at  this  corps,  as  regards  its  numbers 
and  efficiency,  in  order  that  you  may  have  an  opportunity  of  ta- 
king specific  exceptions  to  it  in  detail.  Come  boldly  forward,  sir, 
before  the  intelligence  and  science  of  the  country,  state  your  ob- 
jections, and  abide  the  issue  of  their  verdict.  This  will  be  better 
than  to  look  for  precedents  as  a  guide  for  an  enterprise  wholly 
unprecedented  in  the  multiplicity  and  importance  of  its  objects. 
I  suppose  that,  in  the  absence  of  official  communication,  the  sci- 
entific department  may  be  said  to  consist  of : 

1.  A  Philologist. 

2.  A  Meteorologist,  to  whom  is  assigned  Natural  Philosophy 
in  general,  or  Physical  Science. 

3.  A  Chymist,  Mineralogist,  and  Geologist. 

4.  A  Geologist,  to  whom  is  especially  assigned  Organic  Geol- 
ogy- 

5.  A  Botanist. 

6.  An  assistant  Botanist. 

7.  An  Anatomist. 

8.  A  Zoologist,  to  whom  is  assigned  Malacology  and  Actinol- 
ogy,  or  all  shellfish  and  soft  marine  animals. 

9.  A  Zoologist,  to  whom  is  assigned  Entomology,  or  insects 
of  the  land  and  sea.  / 


LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN.  425 

10.  A  Zoologist,  to  whom  is  assigned  Ichthyology  and  Herpe- 
tology,  or  fishes  and  reptiles. 

11.  A  Zoologist,  to  whom  is  assigned  Ornithology  and  Mam- 
malogy, or  birds  and  quadrupeds. 

ARTISTS. 

12.  A  Zoological  Draughtsman. 

13.  An  assistant  Zoological  Draughtsman 

14.  A  Portrait  Painter. 

15.  A  Landscape  Painter. 

16.  A  Botanical  Draughtsman. 

MECHANICAL  ASSISTANTS. 

17.  A  Machinist,  to  repair  instruments. 

18.  A  Taxidermist,  to  prepare  and  preserve  specimens. 

Thus  ten  departments  only  are  designated,  which  are  filled  by 
persons  engaged  in  scientific  research  ;  two  to  each  vessel  of  the 
squadron  ;  and  the  sum  total  of  savans  employed  is  not  so  great 
as  has  been  sent  out  from  Europe  on  similar  expeditions,  much 
more  limited  in  other  respects.  Nearly  forty  years  ago  the 
French  sent  out  an  expedition  of  discovery  under  Baudin  to  the 
Australian  region,  called  forth  by  a  spirit  of  emulation  and  a  jeal- 
ousy of  national  honour,  excited  by  what  the  English  had  done 
and  were  doing  in  that  quarter.  The  enterprise  was  planned  at 
the  time  the  army  of  reserve  was  about  to  undertake  the  passage 
of  the  Alps.  The  force  consisted  of  two  corvettes  of  thirty  guns 
each,  and  a  schooner ;  the  corps  attached  to  which  included  twen- 
ty-three persons,  viz.,  two  astronomers,  two  hydrographers,  five 
zoologists,  three  botanists,  two  mineralogists,  five  artists,  one  gar- 
dener and  four  assistants,  one  architect  and  draughtsman.  But 
this  is  anticipating,  as  I  propose  to  reserve  for  my  next  letter  a 
comparison  of  the  present  undertaking  with  what  the  "  maritime 
powers  of  Europe"  have  done.  From  the  majority  of  former  Eu- 
ropean enterprises  of  discovery  this  expedition  differs  in  several 
essential  particulars. 

First.  In  the  appointment  of  a  philologist ;  not  a  person  merely 
to  collect  vocabularies,  but  one  versed  in  the  structure  and  affilia- 
tion of  languages,  and  capable  of  throwing  light  on  the  origin^ 
migration,  and  history  of  the  varieties  of  the  human  race. 

Secondly.    In  the  increased  number  of  artists.     Of  these  there 


426  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

are  five ;  and  let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  to  them  is  committed 
the  task  of  delineating  not  only  every  object  in  the  scenery  ne- 
cessary to  convey  a  correct  idea  of  the  islands  visited,  the  exact 
physiognomy  and  appearance  of  the  natives,  their  manufactures, 
habitations,  &c.,  but  also  of  portraying  numerous  species  in  nat- 
ural history,  of  which  the  representations  are  required  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly minute  and  accurate  ;  and  through  these  means  of  fix- 
ing by  ocular  demonstration  what  words  alone  can  never  convey 
with  that  correctness  so  indispensable  in  the  details  of  science. 
Were  it  possible  to  reason  with  you  in  any  matter  connected 
with  this  measure,  it  would  be  easy  to  show  that  the  number  of 
artists  should  be  augmented.  Most  certainly,  a  decrease  in  their 
numbers  would  seriously  affect  the  interests  of  the  expedition. 

Thirdly.  In  the  selection  of  professional  men  for  each  distinct 
subdivision  of  scientific  inquiries,  who  are  expected  to  devote 
their  exclusive  attention  to  that  branch  of  science  which  has  been 
more  immediately  the  subject  of  their  investigation,  is  the  number 
of  departments  to  which  principals  have  been  appointed  too  great  ? 
You  say  that  such  is  the  case  ;  but  the  reply  is  conclusive  that 
this  division  has  been  made  in  accordance  with  the  suggestions  of 
persons  of  the  first  scientific  attainments  ;  and  that  there  is  no  one 
of  the  departments  which  is  not  considered  to  be  of  sufficient  im- 
portance to  form  a  science  of  itself,  and  to  have  professors  during 
their  whole  lives  solely  devoted  to. its  cultivation! 

Fourthly.  In  the  appointment  of  a  meteorologist  and  mechan- 
ical philosopher,  not  merely  to  make  barometrical  and  thermomet- 
rical  experiments,  but  an  individual  uniting  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  properties  of  matter  with  a  capacity  for  acute  original 
research. 

Fifthly.  In  zoology.  Here,  instead  of  a  single  zoologist,  with 
four 'or  five  assistants,  aide  naturalistes,  the  respective  branches 
are  allotted  to  different  naturalists,  each  of  whom,  however  indus- 
trious, has  an  ample  field  for  his  labours.  The  zoologists,  there- 
fore, will  not  be  merely  collectors  sent  out  to  grasp  up  animals 
and  preserve  specimens  for  home  inspection  and  dissertation, 
but  men  of  high  acquirements  sent  out  to  study  the  organic  world 
alive.  Zoology,  in  addition  to  that  of  the  animal  world,  includes 
the  physical  history  of  the  varied  tribes  of  man.  It  is  to  zoology 
chiefly  that  anatomy  is  now  looking  for  light ;  and  many  animals, 


LETTERS    OF  A    CITIZEN.  427 

hitherto  only  known  through  the  medium  of  books,  may  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  anatomist  during  the  contemplated  voyage.  The 
variety  in  the  structure  of  living  beings  is  immense  ;  almost  every 
distinct  creature  having  some  peculiarity  of  organization,  and  af- 
fording opportunities  to  elicit  truth.  The  same  zoological  laws 
influence  ourselves  and  the  meanest  insect ;  and  the  muscle  which 
moves  a  finger  at  our  wish,  we  know  not  by  what  secret  connex- 
ion between  will  and  motion,  acts  from  the  same  cause  as  does 
that  which  controls  the  foot  of  a  fly. 

From  a  corps  organized  on  the  present  plan  great  accuracy  of 
research  may  be  expected.  Such  has  not  been  uniformly  the  re- 
sult of  expeditions  despatched  to  the  Pacific,  nominally  for  scien- 
tific purposes,  by  the  "  maritime  powers  of  Europe."  With  the 
facilities  which  the  men  of  science  attached  to  this  expedition  are 
afforded  in  their  preparation,  and,  more  than  all,  from  the  princi- 
ple of  the  division  of  labour  that  has  been  adopted,  a  decided  im- 
provement, even  on  "  the  most  successful  of  the  expeditions  sent 
out  by  the  maritime  powers  of  Europe"  may  be  fairly  anticipated ; 
and  this,  you  will  find,  the  learned  on  the  other  side  of  the  water 
will  not  hesitate  to  acknowledge.  Divided  as  their  labours  are, 
they  will  be  able  to  go  over  their  ground  thoroughly,  and  to  glean 
all  possible  information  on  every  subject  which  comes  within  the 
scope  of  their  researches.  Sir,  would  it  not  be  honourable  to  our 
national  character  if  the  observations  and  collections  made  through 
the  agency  of  our  own  naval  and  scientific  intelligence  should  be 
distinguished  above  all  others  by  their  accuracy  and  complete- 
ness ;  and  if,  when  any  doubt  was  raised  concerning  the  position, 
natural  history,  or  language  of  any  island,  an  appeal  to  the  records 
of  the  South  Sea  exploring  expedition  should  be  sufficient  to  set 
the  question  at  rest  ?  Sir,  the  man  is  to  be  pitied  who  could  not 
find  more  pleasure  in  the  contemplation  of  such  results  than  in 
darkly  brooding  over  the  ways  and  means  by  which  he  might 
prevent  them  ;  but,  while  he  is  to  be  regarded  with  commiser- 
ation for  his  want  of  sympathy  with  noble  impulses,  I  think  you 
will  own  that  the  power  to  crush  or  cripple  their  designs  should 
be  taken  from  him. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  number  and  qualifications  of  the  members 
of  the  civil  corps,  as  well  as  of  the  apportionment  of  their  duties. 
I  would  now  say  a  word  in  reference  to  the  preparations  they  have 


428  LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN. 

made.  This  is  the  more  necessary,  as  you  are  at  present  throw- 
ing, or  striving  to  throw,  discredit  upon  the  undertaking,  by  rep- 
robating these  preliminaries  as  extravagant.  I  know  that  you  do 
not  pursue  this  plan  on  all  occasions ;  but  at  the  time  and  place, 
and  in  the  presence  of  persons,  when,  where,  and  on  whom  you 
think  it  will  produce  the  most  effect. 

You  stated,  in  a  report  to  Congress  in  February  last,  that  "  all 
the  books,  instruments,  and  charts  necessary  for  any  scientific  ex- 
pedition had  been  procured ;"  though,  in  your  present  report,  you 
are  obliged  to  own  that  "  it  was  necessary11  (after  the  date  of  that 
assertion)  "to  procure  a  great  variety  of  articles  for  the  gentle- 
men of  the  scientific  corps."  On  the  29th  of  August  and  12th  of 
October  you  placed  money  in  the  hands  of  Commodore  Jones, 
as  also,  to  a  small  amount,  in  the  hands  of  two  members  of  the 
corps,  and  then  told  us  that  "  this  unusual  course  was  adopted 
that  there  might  be  no  delay  in  the  sailing  of  the  expedition" 
What  mockery,  I  had  ahr.c?t  s^d.  *vhat  trifling  with  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  country,  is  this  flimsy  justification  of  your  tardiness 
of  action !  If  you  had  put  this  fund  into  the  hands  of  Commo- 
dore Jones  in  October,  1836,  instead  of  October,  1837,  and  in 
other  respects  performed  your  duty,  you  might  have  been  indulged 
in  speaking  of  your  "  unusual  course"  to  prevent  "  delay  in  the 
sailing  of  the  expedition." 

You  were  at  Philadelphia  in  July  last,  and,  by  appointment, 
met  a  portion  of  the  members  of  the  corps  in  the  hall  of  the 
"  American  Philosophical  Society."  A  number  of  scientific  gen- 
tlemen besides  the  corps  attended.  You  then  found  that,  so  far 
from  everything  necessary  having  been  procured,  as  stated  in 
your  report  of  February  last,  almost  every  requisite  was  still 
wanting ;  and  this,  be  it  remembered,  was  fifteen  months  after 
the  authorization  of  the  measure  by  Congress.  You  were  liberal, 
however,  in  your  expressions  at  that  interview,  and  said  you 
wished  the  corps  to  have  a  full  supply  of  every  necessary  article, 
and  even  "  a  little  more."  Fortunately  for  the  defence  of  this 
portion  of  the  enterprise,  the  parties  concerned  were  not  the  sole 
judges  of  what  was  required  for  their  use  in  books,  instruments, 
and  other  appliances.  A  commission  of  six  distinguished  mem- 
bers of  the  "  American  Philosophical  Society  of  Philadelphia" 
was  organized  to  examine  into  and  judge  of  the  propriety  and 


LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN.  429 

utility  of  the  requisitions  made  by  the  members  of  the  corps,  each 
for  his  own  department.  This  commission  consisted  of  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen,  whom  to  name  is  to  guaranty  that  whatever 
they  approved  was  correct :  Peter  S.  Duponceau,  Chairman, 
Professor  Robert  M.  Patterson,  Director  of  the  Mint,  John  K. 
Kane,  Esq.,  Clement  C.  Biddle,  Esq.,  Professor  Henry  C.  Vet- 
hake,  and  George  Ord,  Esq.  This  commission  devoted  its  time 
to  a  careful  and  rigid  investigation  of  every  requisition  made  by 
the  corps ;  conferred  with  the  members  of  the  latter  ;  and,  finally, 
approved  every  purchase  or  preparation  of  consequence  which 
had  been  made  ;  and,  without  its  sanction,  nothing  agreed  upon 
by  the  individuals  of  the  corps  themselves  was  conceded  by  your 
department.  Nobly,  sir,  did  the  commission  meet  and  discharge 
the  duties  which  a  devotion  to  the  interest  of  science,  and  a  pride 
in  what  the  country  was  about  to  do,  could  alone  have  induced 
them  to  assume.  They  exhibited  no  narrow  views,  but  were 
liberal,  though  not  too  much  so ;  and  in  the  result  of  their  exami- 
nation the  country  has  every  security  for  the  fitness  of  the  or- 
ganization which  has  been  adopted  and  of  the  preparations  made. 
It  was,  of  course,  to  be  expected  that,  in  constructing  the  plan 
of  an  enterprise  so  extensive  and  so  important,  some  imperfec- 
tions of  detail  would  unavoidably  occur ;  but  I  think  I  shall  be 
able  to  show,  in  my  next  letter,  that  a  comparison  with  the 
"most  successful  expeditions  sent  out  by  the  maritime  powers 
of  Europe"  will  demonstrate,  that  any  attempt  to  reduce  its  num 
bers  or  alter  its  organization  would  be  the  most  direct  mode  of 
greatly  impairing  its  usefulness,  if  not  of  rendering  it  a  nonentity. 
During  the  long  period  which  has  elapsed  since  the  appointment 
of  the  scientific  attachees,  each  has  naturally  applied  himself  to  a 
preparation  for  his  particular  division  of  art  or  science ;  and  has 
collected  books,  procured  instruments,  and  pursued  studies,  hav- 
ing exclusive  reference  to  his  designated  duties.  To  break  up  the 
corps  now,  when  those  composing  it  have  made  their  arrange- 
ments for  a  long  absence,  and  laid  in  their  stock  of  clothing  and 
sea  stores,  would  be  not  merely  to  frustrate  many  and  well- 
founded  hopes,  but  to  subject  these  gentlemen,  in  addition  to  what 
they  have  already  suffered,  to  serious  pecuniary  loss.  Such  a 
course  would  be,  in  fact,  a  flagrant  breach  of  faith  ;  and  yet,  sir, 
you  know  that  what  you  are  now  labouring  to  effect  would  pro- 


430  LETTERS   OF    A    CITIZEN. 

duce,  should  you  succeed,  this  very  end.  Do  you  disclaim  the 
intention  ?  We  shall  see  the  value  of  the  disclaimer  by  showing, 
in  the  first  place,  the  adaptation  of  the  present  force  to  the  labours 
to  be  performed ;  and  then  that  the  reduction  you  are  urging  will 
derange,  if  not  preclude,  all  faithful  and  accurate  research. 

The  arrangements  for  the  accommodation  of  the  corps  in  the 
Macedonian  are  now  fully  completed,  and  will,  in  every  respect, 
enable  its  members  to  pursue  their  avocations  without  interfering 
with  the  necessary  discipline  of  the  vessel  or  infringing  on  the 
convenience  of  any  other  persons  on  board.  All  the  officers  of 
the  ship,  whether  of  the  wardroom,  the  steerage,  or  the  cockpit, 
occupy  unencumbered  the  accommodations  usually  allotted  to 
them  in  a  frigate.  Commodore  Jones  caused  a  cabin  to  be  con- 
structed for  his  use  on  the  spardeck,  resigning  the  one  usually 
occupied  by  him  on  the  gundeck  to  the  sole  possession  of  the 
corps.  It  has  been  fitted  up  for  their  reception,  and  they  have 
all  fixed  upon  their  respective  rooms  ;  each  having  ample  space 
for  convenience  and  comfort.  There  they  have  space  for  their 
library,  which  comprises  at  least  one  thousand  volumes,  rare  and 
valuable  works  on  the  whole  range  of  the  sciences  in  octavoes, 
quartoes,  and  folios  ;  for  their  instruments  ;  and  for  the  pursuit  of 
their  investigations  ;  and  there,  also,  do  the  artists  find  suitable 
facilities,  as  regards  location  and  light,  for  the  most  delicate  de- 
lineations of  the  pencil.  On  board  the  frigate,  with  all  these  ad- 
vantages, would  the  whole  corps  be  accommodated  during  the 
transit  from  the  United  States  to  the  field  of  their  active  labours. 
Suppose,  then,  in  reference  to  these  labours,  as  I  did  with  regard 
to  those  of  the  hydrographers,  that  the  squadron  had  arrived  at 
the  group  already  mentioned  when  speaking  of  the  latter ;  for 
the  same  illustration  which  applies  in  one  case  will  hold  good 
equally  in  all  others.  The  frigate  has  come  to  anchor  at  Nave- 
hetevoo,  where  she  will  lie  say  a  month  before  sailing  for  another 
station.  This  would  give  to  the  philologist  leisure  to  pursue  his 
studies.  A  station  would  be  taken  on  shore  where  magnetic  and 
pendulum  observations  would  be  made,  for  without  such  a  facility 
they  could  not  be  carried  on.  The  presence  of  the  frigate  would 
give  safety  to  the  communications  with  the  shore.  The  botanist, 
the  entomologist,  would,  under  proper  escort,  proceed  to  the  inte- 
rior, and  the  productions  of  the  shore,  the  valleys,  and  the  mount- 


LETTERS    OF    A   CITIZEN.  431 

ains  would  come  under  their  cognizance.  This  plan  of  visiting 
the  interior  opens  a  rich  field  to  science ;  one  that  has  been  but 
scantily  occupied  and  superficially  examined  by  expeditions  ori- 
ginating with  the  "  maritime  powers  of  Europe."  Islands  thus 
explored  would,  if  even  two  of  them  should  be  found  clothed  with 
sandal  wood  (to  say  nothing  of  other  articles  of  traffic  which 
have  already  entered  largely  into  our  commerce  with  the  Pacific), 
repay  to  the  nation  the  entire  cost  of  the  expedition.  The  physi- 
cal force  always  at  hand  would  perpetually  facilitate  research  in 
every  branch.  The  same  boats  used  in  surveying  the  harbour  of 
an  island  would  serve  to  debark  the  naturalists  on  its  shores  ;  and 
the  same  force  which  would  be  required  by  the  commander  in 
his  intercourse  with  the  natives  could  likewise  protect  the. 'civil- 
ians in  the  performance  of  their  several  duties  ;  while  the  com- 
pleteness with  which  the  corps  is  organized  would  enable  its 
members  to  pursue  their  researches  with  rapidity,  and  make  their 
calculations  without  delaying  the  expedition  for  any  length  of 
time ;  so  that  the  period  required  for  scientific  researches  at  the 
largest  islands  would  suit  exactly  that  necessary  for  the  move- 
ments of  the  frigate  while  directing  the  hydrographical  surveys. 
But  still  more.  One  decided  advantage  in  the  scale  upon  which 
this  corps  is  formed,  and  which  gives  it  a  superiority  over  most 
others  hitherto  sent  out,  is,  that  it  is  constituted  of  men  more 
capable  of  taking  charge  of  separate  departments.  Instead  of 
being  merely  a  body  of  collectors,  acting  under  one  or  two  heads, 
here  each  savan  has  his  favourite  division ;  while  possessing,  at 
the  same  time,  more  or  less  knowledge  of  the  branches  consigned 
to  his  companions.  This  will  enable  the  men  of  science  to  adopt 
a  perfect  system  of  reciprocity.  The  botanist,  while  plucking  a 
flower,  would  not  overlook  the  insect  feeding  upon  it ;  because 
the  entomologist  would  repay  the  courtesy  by  gathering  for  him  a 
plant ;  and  each  would  be  able  to  give  to  the  other  all  requisite 
information  of  their  respective  localities.  This  system  would  be 
carried  out,  in  like  manner,  with  all  the  rest.  All  ground  for  jeal- 
ousy would  be  removed  by  this  division  of  labour ;  each  member 
must  stand  or  fall  in  accordance  with  his  industry  and  ability,  or 
his  want  of  these  qualities  in  his  own  department.  An  additiona. 
inducement  for  reciprocal  services  exists  in  the  fact,  that  all  which 
any  one  can  do  to  assist  his  companions  will  be  more  than  repaid 


432  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

by  what  they  can,  conjointly,  do  for  him.  Thus  the  individuals 
of  the  corps  may  separate,  as  occasion  shall  require,  and  a  part  of 
them  accompany  the  small  vessels  in  their  exploring  excursions ; 
bringing,  by  these  means,  all  portions  of  a  group  or  island  under 
observation  and  contribution;  while  such  researches  as  cannot 
be  made  without  spending  considerable  time  at  a  single  spot  will 
always  be  the  province  of  those  on  board  the  frigate,  which  ves- 
sel will  constitute  the  floating  friendly  port  and  homestead  of  all. 
To  her  all  would  return  when  the  desired  objects  at  any  particu- 
lar station  had  been  attained.  The  hydrographer  (and,  in  fact, 
every  officer  would  be  a  member  of  the  hydrographical  corps) 
would  carefully  analyze  and  arrange  the  materials  gathered  in 
each  survey,  and  consecutively  imbody  them  in  one  continuous 
chart ;  while  the  commander,  after  having  directed  all  these  varied 
employments,  would  see  that  the  results  were  clearly  and  faith- 
fully recorded,  so  that  they  should,  through  all  coming  time, 
prove  a  guide  to  the  mariner  who  followed  in  his  track.  The 
corps,  laden  with  treasures  from  every  portion  of  the  group  which 
they  had  separated  to  examine,  would  again  meet  on  board  the 
frigate,  from  which  they  might,  some  of  them,  have  been  absent 
for  several  months.  Here,  without  incommoding  others,  or  being 
themselves  incommoded,  with  the  appliances  of  an  ample  library, 
the  use  of  instruments,  and  the  assistance  of  artists,  everything 
could  be  analyzed  and  delineated,  to  be  afterward  labelled  and 
carefully  preserved ;  for  all  which  operations  there  would  be  a 
sufficiency  of  room.  Thus,  sir,  it  is  apparent  that  no  less  to  the 
success  of  scientific  inquiry  than  to  the  proper  accomplishment  of 
the  great  objects  of  survey,  friendly  intercourse  with  the  natives, 
and  the  protection  of  our  commercial  interests,  is  the  frigate  in- 
dispensable. Without  her  the  expedition  may  be  sent  out,  but  it 
will  reflect  comparatively  little  honour  on  the  senders. 

If  rumour  speak  true,  your  recent  commission,  consisting  of 
Commodores  Hull,  Biddle,  and  Captain  Aulick,  without  having 
visited  the  squadron,  and  certainly  without  having  had  much  time 
to  examine  the  real  purposes  of  the  enterprise,  have  given  a  re- 
port which  pleases  you ;  inasmuch  as  it  is  said  to  recommend  the 
substitution  of  the  sloop-of-war  Peacock  for  the  Macedonian,  and 
a  diminution  in  the  number  of  minor  vessels.  I  cast  no  censure 
upon  this  board,  not  having  seen  the  instructions  under  which 


LETTERS    OF   A  CITIZEN.  433 

they  acted.  For  the  sake  of  illustration,  let  it  be  supposed  that 
you  succeed  in  your  plans,  and  commence  a  reorganization. 
The  Peacock  is  a  second-class  sloop.  Her  wardroom  will 
scarcely  accommodate  her  officers,  and  the  cabin  on  her  gundeck 
is,  of  course,  appropriated  to  her  commander.  Where  will  you 
put  the  gentlemen  of  the  corps  ?  Where  will  they  eat  ?  Where 
will  they  sleep  ?  Their  library,  their  instruments,  their  stores — 
where  are  these  to  be  stowed  away  ?  Their  studies — in  what 
portion  of  the  vessel  are  they  to  be  carried  on  ?  Where  do  you 
design  the  artists  should  work  ?  Sir,  it  is  idle  to  discuss  the 
point ;  what  you  are  now  trying  to  do  will  break  up  the  scientific 
association,  and  you  know  that  such  is  its  tendency,  that  such  will 
be  its  issue.  By  crowding  the  savans  on  board  the  several  ves- 
sels you  interfere  with  the  limited  space  and  comforts  of  the 
watch-officer ;  and  feeling  this  to  be  the  case,  their  usefulness 
would  be  destroyed.  Then,  with  professions  of  extreme  regret, 
you  will  say  their  numbers  must  be  reduced.  Can  you  reduce 
them  without  making  their  labours  a  mockery  ?  Can  you  do  it 
without  blasting  the  hopes,  and  trampling  on  the  pride  and  just 
expectations  of  the  country  ?  Let  us  see,  sir,  how  your  reduc- 
tions are  to  be  made.  Take  up  the  list,  and  begin,  to  you,  the 
welcome  task ! 

First,  the  philologist :  will  you  dismiss  his  name  from  the  cat- 
alogue ?  "  Every  new  language  is  a  new  development  of  the 
human  mind."  If  the  great  study  of  mankind  be  man,  surely  his 
most  remarkable  attribute — speech — should  not  be  neglected. 
The  science  of  linguistics,  or  comparative  philology,  has  received 
marked  attention,  and  is  held  in  the  highest  estimation  in  this 
country  among  men  of  gifted  minds,  if  such  individuals  as  D«- 
ponceau,  Anthon,  Galatin,  Gibbs,  Pickering,  Webster,  and  others 
of  high  attainments  are  entitled  to  that  distinction ;  while  in  Eu- 
rope, and  especially  in  Germany,  it  receives  the  exclusive  devo- 
tion of  some  of  the  most  learned  men  of  the  age.  Wonderful 
results  have  attended  the  progress  of  this  comparatively  recent 
science,  and  still  more  astonishing  developments  may  be  expected. 
It  travels  back  to  remote  ages,  far  beyond  the  date  of  authentic 
history,  and  shows  the  affinity  among  the  various  tribes  of  our 
race,  however  they  may  be  scattered  over  the  face  of  the  .globe 
Indeed,  by  this  science  alone  can  the  early  migrations  of  man  be 
T 


434  LFTTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

traced.  How  glorious,  then,  for  this  country  to  be  the  first  to  ex- 
tend her  inquiries  in  this  deeply  interesting  department  of  human 
knowledge  among  the  groups  of  the  Pacific.  But  I  must  con- 
clude my  remarks  upon  this  very  interesting  theme.  Sir,  you 
cannot  dismiss  the  philologist ! 

In  the  department  of  natural  philosophy  or  physical  science  there 
is  but  one  individual,  and,  of  course,  he  cannot  be  dispensed  with. 

Chymistry,  mineralogy,  and  zoology,  including  organic  remains, 
will  surely  be  allowed  to  afford  ample  scope  for  two,  when  it  is 
remembered  that  several  professors  find  more  than  they  can  do 
in  this  branch  within  the  limits  of  a  small  state,  though  industri- 
ously employed  for  years. 

Your  own  attainments  in  botany,  so  often  made  manifest  in 
descanting  on  the  flowers  of  a  bouquet  when  in  the  hands  of 
youth  and  beauty,  will,  I  am  sure,  secure  to  the  expedition  the 
botanist  and  his  assistant. 

The  department  of  zoology  is  well  and  ably  filled  by  four  nat- 
uralists, exclusive  of  the  comparative  anatomist.  Pause  and  re- 
flect, sir,  before  you  make  war  on  this  division.  -Remember  that 
zoology  has  ever  been  a  leading  object  in  scientific  voyages.  Look 
at  Cuvier  ;  examine  his  labours  well ;  and  you  will  find  that,  vast 
and  comprehensive  as  were  the  researches  of  that  great  zoologist, 
he  yet  confined  himself  to  but  a  portion  of  animated  nature.  Your 
u  naturalists,"  your  "  scientific  men,"  often  have  been  exclusively 
zoologists,  and,  in  most  instances,  the  number  of  professed  zoolo- 
gists sent  out  by  the  "  maritime  powers  of  Europe"  has  been 
confessedly  too  small.  The  science  is  that  of  life,  and  the  most 
valuable  observations  are  drawn  from  life.  The  members  of  this 
great  division  will  find,  during  the  voyage,  more,  vastly  more,  than 
they  can  perform,  in  observing  the  living  world.  Vain  and  pre- 
sumptuous would  be  that  man,  therefore,  who  would  at  this  day 
undertake  all  the  branches  of  zoology.  Such  a  man  might  make 
collections  for  a  museum  ;  bring  back  specimens  ;  remnants  of 
death  for  the  inspection  of  closet  philosophers  ;  but  the  vastness 
of  his  undertaking  would  place  him,  in  the  scale  of  natural- 
ists, about  where  a  pedler  of  Brandreth's  pills  might  be  supposed 
to  take  rank  ai^ong  regular  physicians.  How,  then,  can  you 
cut  down  in  Uu.  ,j ;  ision  ?  Answer,  not  to  me,  but  to  your  coun- 
try, whose  glory  you  would  mar. 


LETTERS    OP    A   CITIZEN.  435 

Of  the  artists  I  have  before  spoken.  Their  number  should  be 
augmented  rather  than  curtailed.  Numerous  specimens  in  botany, 
a  vast  variety  of  fish  and  other  objects,  will  require  delineation  at 
every  rendezvous  before  they  shall  have  changed  their  natural 
state ;  and  there  should  be  no  delay  in  these  matters.  Twelve 
thousand  dollars  would  employ  two  more  artists  during  the  voy- 
age, and  it  would  be  economy  to  engage  their  services.  Surely, 
then,  you  will  not  lay  hands  on  the  fine  arts ! 

Thus  you  see,  sir,  that  in  every  form  and  aspect  in  which  the 
subject  can  be  reviewed,  the  rationale  and  argument  are  in  favour 
of  the  frigate  and  other  vessels  as  now  prepared.  Equally  appa- 
rent is  it  that  the  alterations  you  are  now  urging  are  virtually 
destructive  to  the  entire  enterprise.  Razeed  as  you  propose,  it 
would  not  meet  public  expectation,  and  the  nation  could  feel  but 
little  pride  in  it.  It  would  fall  short  of  what  some  of  our  state 
governments,  even  those  most  adverse  to  expenditure,  are  now 
doing  by  the  employment  of  men  of  science,  with  large  salaries, 
in  examining  the  natural  history  and  geology  of  their  respective 
territories ;  and  it  is  well  known  that,  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view, 
those  governments  have  been  repaid  a  hundred  fold  for  their 
outlay. 

Sir,  in  your  report  to  the  president  in  December,  1836,  you  ac- 
knowledged that  the  "  indications  of  public  opinion"  were  in  favour 
of  the  expedition  being  prepared  and  sent  out  on  an  efficient  and 
liberal  scale.  I  put  the  question  to  you  direct ;  has  there  been 
any  change  in  the  "indications  of  public  opinion"  since  that  time? 
Among  the  journals  of  the  country,  all  of  which  have  appeared  to 
meet  upon  this  point  as  upon  common  ground,  few,  if  any,  have 
expressed  dissatisfaction  at  the  original  arrangement. 

The  most  distinguished  societies,  literary  and  scientific,  in  the 
United  States,  have  not  only  manifested  increased  interest  in  its 
complete  preparation  and  opposed  its  curtailment,  but  have  thrown 
open  their  libraries  for  the  use  of  the  expedition,  offering  the  use 
of  any  books  upon  their  shelves.  Foreign  societies,  both  in  pri- 
vate correspondence  and  by  public  resolutions,  have  expressed,  in 
the  strongest  manner,  their  anticipations  of  the  benefits  to  be  gath- 
ered from  its  researches. 

Indeed,  not  only  our  own  country,  but  the  nations  of  Europe, 
would  hear  of  a  determination  to  reduce  the  naval  force  of  the  enter- 

*.    '  ' 

' 


436  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

prise,  and  the  number  of  its  scientific  observers,  with  equal  surprise 
and  derision.  They  would  recollect  that,  forty  years  ago,  France, 
with  her  finances  disordered  and  energies  apparently  taxed  to  the 
utmost  by  a  long  and  expensive  war,  and  England,  when  similarly 
situated,  both  sent  out  splendid  expeditions  of  discovery.  The 
former  detailed  a  numerous  corps  of  savans,  which  accompanied 
the  memorable  army  of  Egypt,  requiring  that  particular  attention 
should  be  paid  to  facilitating  their  labours. 

They  will  remember,  moreover,  that  whatever  the  military  re- 
nown which  was  reaped  by  France  on  the  Egyptian  plains,  it  was 
not  greater  or  more  imperishable  than  that  which  accrued  from  the 
investigations  of  its  scientific  attachees  into  the  natural  history,  the 
topography,  the  antiquities  of  the  country.  With  these  reminis- 
cences they  would  be  excusable  in  receiving  the  news  of  such  an 
unjustifiable  sacrifice  as  that  proposed,  though  urged  on  the  plea 
of  economy  (after  the  whole  expense  of  preparation  had  been  in- 
curred), with  feelings  as  much  akin  to  contempt  as  astonishment. 

In  my  next  I  will  hold  you  to  a  comparison  of  this  expedition 
with  what  "  the  maritime  powers  of  Europe  have  done  ;"  and  will 
show  that,  if  the  naval  appropriation  for  1838  must  be  reduced, 
the  exploring  squadron  is  the  last  object  to  which,  if  we  have  a 
due  regard  for  our  interest  and  honour,  that  reduction  should  be 
suffered  to  apply. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

Very  respectfully,  your  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

New-York,  January  1, 1838. 


XII. 

To  the  Honourable  Mahlon  Dickerson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

SIR, 

Had  you  been  more  specific  in  your  frequent  allusions  to  the 
expeditions  sent  out  by  the  maritime  powers  of  Europe,  from  be- 
hind the  models  of  which  you  so  frequently  assail  the  arrange- 
ments made  for  the  first  similar  enterprise  from  this  country,  it 
had  been  a  much  easier  task  to  meet  and  confute  you ;  it  had 


LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN.  437 

been  a  task,  also,  much  more  concisely  performed.  Sir,  had  you 
looked  at  your  countrymen  in  all  that  belongs  to  their  history, 
you  had  learned  that  in  all  things  wherein  they  have  been  distin^ 
guished,  in  every  undertaking  in  which  they  have  been  most  suc- 
cessful, they  have  been  anything  but  servile  imitators  of  the  na- 
tions of  Europe,  in  the  quo  modo  of  their  actions.  They  did  not 
study  foreign  models  (except  to  improve  upon  them)  in  framing  their 
institutions,  nor  in  subduing  the  forest  and  turning  the  wilderness 
into  the  abode  of  civilized  man  ;  nor  in  their  steam-navigation 
and  mechanical  agents ;  nor,  above  all,  in  their  ship-building  and 
commercial  enterprise.  Our  people,  though  the  last  to  enter  the 
Pacific,  have  been  chained  down  by  no  precedent  in  their  move- 
ments there,  but  have  pushed  their  ocean  business  in  that  quarter 
far  beyond  that  of  all  other  nations.  Before  you  urge  as  authority 
what  the  maritime  powers  of  Europe  have  done,  it  is  incumbent 
on  you  to  show  that  these  powers  had  equal  interests  afloat  to  be 
protected  and  extended  ;  that  the  motives  which  prompted  their 
efforts  were  the  same  and  as  imperative  as  those  which  have  pro- 
duced action  in  our  own  government;  and,  unless  this  can  be 
shown,  it  is  idle  to  talk  about  models.  The  force  to  be  employed 
in  any  enterprise  should  be  regulated  by  the  consideration  of  what 
that  force  is  designated  to  perform. 

The  exposition  to  which  I  have  alluded  I  might,  with  propriety 
and  justice,  require ;  but,  not  supposing  you  would  find  it  conve- 
nient to  give  it,  I  waive  my  right  to  interrogate  you  on  this  point, 
and  proceed  to  show  how  little,  in  all  probability,  you  know  in 
detail  of  the  expeditions  to  which  we  are  so  triumphantly  referred 
as  patterns  for  our  own. 

Most  of  the  early  expeditions  to  the  Pacific  were  despatched 
there  rather  to  plunder  the  Spanish  settlements  and  to  make  con- 
quests than  for  the  purposes  of  discovery.  They  originated  in 
high  daring  and  an  ardent  thirst  for  adventure.  But  I  presume 
you  will  not  hold  them  up  as  models  at  this  day,  unless,  indeed, 
your  statement,  that  the  officers  of  our  navy  entered  the  service 
with  a  view  to  distinguishing  themselves  by  deeds  of  arms,  hinted 
at  their  emulating  the  forays  of  the  bucaniers,  in  preference  to 
the  more  peaceful  exploits  of  modern  discoverers.  There  are, 
then,  but  comparatively  few  enterprises  of  discovery  with  which 
I  need  stop  to  institute  comparisons.  I  will  take  those  of  most 


438  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

celebrity.  As  regards  the  English  expeditions,  I  need  not  go  far- 
ther back  than  that  of  Cook  ;  and,  among  the  French,  to  that  of 
Dentrecasteaux.  Of  what,  sir,  did  the  latter  consist,  and  what 
were  the  objects  it  was  fitted  out  to  attain  ? 

In  1781,  as  no  news  had  been  received  of  La  Peyrouse  for  three 
years,  "  the  National  Assembly  decreed  that  the  king  should  be 
desired  to  arm  one  or  several  vessels,  in  which  should  be  embarked 
scientific  men  (savans),  naturalists  and  draughtsmen,  and  to  give 
the  commander  the  double  mission  of  searching  for  La  Peyrouse, 
and  making,  at  the  same  time,  researches  relative  to  the  sciences 
and  commerce ;  in  taking  all  measures  in  rendering  that  expedi- 
tion, independent  of  the  primary  object,  useful  and  advantageous 
to  navigation,  geography,  commerce,  and  the  arts  and  sciences." 

Nothing  like  general  exploration  entered  into  the  plans  of  this 
voyage,  and  yet  Dentrecasteaux  required  of  the  government  two 
vessels  of  five  hundred  tons  each.  In  this  mission,  acquisitions  in 
geography,  commerce,  navigation,,  and  the  arts  and  sciences,  were 
secondary  objects ;  and  yet  there  were  attached  to  these  vessels 
two  astronomers,  two  hydrographers,  five  naturalists,,  two  garden- 
ers, and  two  painters.  Comparing,  then,  the  limited  range  marked 
out  for  that  undertaking  with  the  wide  sphere  of  our  present  en- 
terprise, and  contrasting  the  necessary  minuteness  in  scientific 
research  at  this  day  with  the  far  inferior  accuracy  which  con- 
sisted with  the  state  of  science  then,  you  will  find  that,  as  re- 
gards both  naval  force  and  the  number  of  scientific  observers, 
you  are  totally  unsustained  in  your  position ;  nay,  that  you  must 
add  to  rather  than  subtract  from  the  force  of  the  expedition  as 
already  organized. 

Come,  sir,  let  us  proceed  with  the  comparisons  you  have  pro- 
voked, and  prepare  to  stand  or  fall  by  the  issue.  You  have  used 
the  words  "recent  voyages,"  and,  for  the  sake  of  brevity,  I  will 
come  down  to  them.  The  voyage  of  Captain  Freycinet  in  the 
Unanie,  from  1817  to  1820,  has  been  greatly  and  very  justly  cele- 
brated. He  had  a  corvette  of  twenty  guns,  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  men,  besides  officers.  Here  is  a  model  that  suits  you ; 
one  to  which  you  have  impliedly  referred  Congress  in  justification 
of  your  present  course ;  yet  you  might,  with  about  as  much  pro- 
priety, have  cited  the  equipment  of  Lewis  and  Clark  for  their  ex- 
cursion over  the  Rocky  Mountains  as  a  pattern  to  be  followed  ia 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  439 

this  expedition.  Would  you  send  the  same  force  to  fight  the 
King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  as  you  would  to  humble  the  Bar- 
bary  powers?  Certainly  not.  And  why?  Because  what  was 
amply  sufficient  for  the  one  object  would  be  totally  inadequate 
to  the  other.  Very  good.  Now  let  us  see,  sir,  what  object  the 
French  government  had  in  view  which  Captain  Freycinet  was 
despatched  in  a  single  corvette  to  effect. 

"  The  principal  object  of  the  voyage,"  says  Arago,  "  was  to 
ascertain  the  figure  of  the  globe  by  pendulum  experiments,  and 
the  elements  of  terrestrial  magnetism ;  several  questions  in  me- 
teorology had  also  been  indicated  by  the  academy  very  worthy  of 
attention." 

Freycinet  himself  superintended  the  pendulum  experiments, 
assisted  by  ten  out  of  seventeen  of  his  officers ;  and  during  the 
whole  voyage  not  a  single  series  of  observations  was  made  in 
which  he  did  not  take  the  principal  share.  Thermometrical  and 
hygrometrical  observations  were  made  hourly  both  by  day  and 
night ;  examinations  of  the  barometer  every  two  hours ;  and,  at 
the  same  intervals,  of  the  temperature  of  the  sea.  In  the  first 
chapter  of  the  narrative  Freycinet  says :  "  Our  expedition  is,  I 
think,  the  first  maritime  voyage  which,  being  destined  to  the 
progress  of  human  knowledge,  has  not  had  hydrography  for  its 
object.  The  determination  of  the  form  of  the  globe  in  the  south- 
ern hemisphere,  the  observation  of  magnetic  and  meteorological 
phenomena,  finally,  the  study  of  the  three  kingdoms  of  Nature, 
formed  the  principal  object  of  the  mission." 

Thus  you  perceive,  sir,  that  in  this  French  expedition  hydrog- 
raphy was  even  less  than  a  secondary  object,  while  in  the  Ameri- 
can it  is  one  of  the  most  prominent.  In  the  former,  the  protec- 
tion of  commerce,  the  rescue  of  shipwrecked  mariners,  the  survey 
of  important  groups,  islands,  and  harbours,  were  altogether  minor 
considerations;  indeed,  were  not  even  named;  while  these  consti- 
tute important  provinces  of  the  latter,  and  have  been  especially 
prayed  for  in  the  memorials,  upon  the  representations  of  which 
Congress  has  based  its  action.  Do  not  these  facts  show  the  ab- 
surdity of  attempting  to  draw  a  parallel  between  the  two  under- 
takings, and  of  endeavouring  to  make  the  scale  of  one  an  argu- 
ment for  the  reduction  of  the  other  ?  To  Freycinet  was  granted 
the  entire  selection  of  his  own  officers.  How  will  your  conduct 


440  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

in  this  respect  compare  with  foreign  models  ?  "  With  regard  to 
piovisions,"  says  Freycinet,  "everything  was  allowed  that  could 
be  required,  and  extra  clothing  was  furnished  for  each  man  gratis." 

Large  quantities  of  concentrated  or  fresh  provisions  were  fur- 
nished, and  the  commander  has  shown  that  the  government  saved 
money  by  this  liberality ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  preservation  of 
health  to  which  it  was  conducive.  How  did  you  follow  this  for- 
eign model  in  reference  to  extra  clothing  ?  1  will  answer.  When 
the  different  rendezvous  for  the  shipment  of  seamen  for  the  ex- 
pedition were  first  opened,  wages  in  the  merchant  service  were 
high,  and  recruits  came  in  slowly.  Again  and  again  did  Commo- 
dore Jones  urge  the  necessity  of  promising  the  men  an  allowance 
of  extra  clothing,  as  well  as  the  bounty  authorized  by  Congress 
even  for  the  general  service  during  the  past  year ;  but  you  refused 
to  hold  out  the  hope  of  either.  Finally,  however,  when,  under 
every  discouragement,  the  complement  of  men  had  at  length  been 
shipped,  you  graciously  condescended  to  allow  both. 

Making  you  perfectly  welcome  to  all  the  support  the  voyage 
of  Freycinet  can  afford  you,  I  will  now  leave  it  and  take  up 
another;  but  not  till  I  have  informed  you  that  this  commander 
lost  his  vessel  at  the  Falkland  Isles ;  from  which  extraordinary 
fact  you  will  perceive  that  a  corvette  may  be  wrecked  as  well  as 
a  frigate  ! ! 

Next  in  order  of  time  comes  the  voyage  of  Captain  Duperrey 
in  the  Coquille  in  the  years  1822,  '3,  '4,  '5,  seventy-two  persons. 
And  for  what  was  this  vessel  sent  out  ?  To  hold  conference  with 
the  islanders  of  the  Pacific,  protect  commercial  interest,  make 
surveys,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  and  to  combine  with  these  accurate  sci- 
entific research  ?  Look  at  the  work,  sir,  and  you  will  then  find 
that  the  "  objects  of  the  voyage  were  again  the  study  of  the  three 
kingdoms  of  nature,  magnetism,  meteorology,  and  some  observa- 
tions relative  to  the  determination  of  the  figure  of  the  globe."  As 
to  hydrography,  it  "  was  proposed  to  establish  or  rectify  the  posi- 
tion of  a  great  number  of  points  in  different  parts  of  the  globe." 
The  character,  language,  manners,  &c.,  of  the  islanders  were  also 
to  receive  attention. 

"  To  establish  harmony,"  says  Duperry,  "we  agreed  beforehand 
to  divide  our  labours  according  to  our  predominant  tastes." 

M.  Durville,  Botany  and  Entomology. 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  441 

j.,*  y  >  all  the  rest  of  Natural  History. 

M.  Gabert,  Agent,  Commerce  and  Industry  of  the  Natives. 

M.  Lejeune,  Draughtsman. 

M.  Duperrey,  Physic  and  Hydrography.     Seven  assistants. 

Thus,  sir,  notwithstanding  the  limited  sphere  of  action  to  which 
the  labours  of  Freycinet  and  Duperrey  were  confined,  in  compar- 
ison with  the  vastness  of  that  marked  out  for  the  South  Sea  ex- 
ploring expedition,  fifteen  persons  accompanied  the  former  and 
twelve  the  latter  commander,  who  were  engaged  directly  in  sci- 
entific researches. 

From  these  two  celebrated  voyages,  then,  you  may  learn  two 
things :  First,  they  were  not  fitted  out  or  intended  for  the  duties 
expected  to  be  performed  by  the  present  enterprise ;  and,  secondly, 
that  the  scientific  corps  were  more  numerous,  in  proportion  to  their 
field  of  action  and  number  of  vessels  ;  though  not  so  well  organized, 
as  regards  the  division  of  duties,  as  the  present.  In  scientific  re- 
sults the  voyage  of  Duperrey  was  decidedly  inferior  to  that  of 
Freycinet,  who  preceded  him ;  and  even  were  this  government 
about  to  send  out  a  single  vessel  for  objects  precisely  similar,  the 
former  ought  not  be  selected  as  a  model.  Duperrey  had  but  a  mea- 
ger supply  of  instruments,  and  only  five  chronometers.  The 
-nean  maximum  irregularity  of  these  chronometers  varied  no  less 
than  twenty-three  seconds  and  a  fraction  per  day.  Would  you 
have  the  mean  maximum  irregularity  of  those  used  in  this  voyage 
to  run  thus  ?  Duperrey  made  no  experiments  on  the  temperature 
of  the  sea  at  great  depths  ;  nor  was  he  provided  with  a  single 
self-registering  thermometer.  Would  it  Jiot  be  best  to  sell  those 
provided  for  this  expedition  unless  we  can  find  authority  for  using 
them  in  some  of  the  other  expeditions  sent  out  by  the  "  maritime 
powers  of  Europe  ?"  Duperrey  "  was  authorized  to  appoint  his 
own  officers,"  the  same  privilege  which  had  been  allowed  Frey- 
cinet. Mark  that ! ! ! 

Captain  La  Place  made  a  pretty  little  voyage  round  the  world 
a  few  years  ago  in  the  Favourite,  of  seven  hundred  tons  and  twen- 
ty-four guns.  What  do  you  think  of  his  enterprise  as  a  model  ? 
What  did  he  do  ?  Where  did  he  go  ?  After  doubling  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  he  followed  in  the  well-known  track  of  modern 
voyagers.  He  run  down  the  African  and  Indian  Oceans,  passed 


442  1ETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

the  Straits  of  Molaccas  and  entered  the  China  Sea,  which  he  left 
by  passing  to  the  east  of  Java,  to  the  west  and  south  of  New-Hol- 
land, and  south  of  Van  Diemen's  Land.  Thence  returning  nor- 
therly, he  visited  New-Zealand,  from  which  he  sailed  by  the  most 
direct  route  to  Valparaiso,  and  then  proceeded  round  Cape  Horn 
and  home.  I  question  if  you  could  have  marked  out  a  route  more 
barren  of  interest  than  that  which  he  pursued.  He  took  with  him 
no  men  of  science,  and  gave  to  the  world  on  his  return  a  portfolio 
of  landscape  drawings  !  Would  this  modern  effort  of  one  of  the 
"  maritime  powers  of  Europe"  be  a  suitable  pattern  for  the  naval 
enterprise  of  this  country  ?  It  is  not  necessary  to  allude  to  the 
English  expeditions  and  discoveries.  Those  which  they  have  re- 
cently sent  out  under  King,  Owen,  Foster,  &c.,  can  form  no  ex- 
amples for  this  country,  as  Captain  King  was  employed  in  sur- 
veying the  Straits  of  Magellan  and  .the  east  and  west  coasts  of 
Patagonia ;  Owen  on  th.^  coast  of  Africa  ;.  Foster  in  making  a  few 
pendulum  observations. 

Sir,  I  will  not  pay  your  judgment  so  poor  a  compliment  as  to 
credit,  for  a  moment,  that  you  could  regard  the  expeditions  of  Ross 
and  Parry,  sent  out  for  the  sole  purpose  of  making  their  way  along 
a  frozen  coast  and  among  numerous  islands  in  the  polar  seas  to 
determine  a  single  question  in  physical  geography,  as  models  for 
this  expedition ;  though  I  have  seen  these  same  voyages,  by  gen- 
tle implication,  held  up  for  that  purpose  in  the  report  of  a  com- 
mittee of  the  Naval  Lyceum  at  Brooklyn,  who  seemed  to  feel  under 
increased  responsibility  for  their  opinions  from  the  circumstance 
that  they  might  be  regarded  as  representing  something  like  three 
hundred  naval  officers  ! ! ! 

I  come  now,  sir,  to  the  last  great  effort  of  the  maritime  powers 
of  Europe,  as  given  to  the  world  in  the  voyage  of  the  Astrolabe. 
A  copy  of  this  work  was  sent  a  year  ago  by  the  French  as  a 
present  to  our  government.  It  was  a  pretty  conception,  honoura- 
ble to  the  French ;  and  it  will  be  honourable  to  us  when-  we  shall 
be  able  to  return  the  compliment.  How  often  has  this  voyage 
been  the  theme  of  your  remarks  ?  How  often,  nay,  how  con- 
stantly hn  you  relied  on  this  voyage  as  a  model,  and  as  a  justi- 
fication of  your  late  proceedings  ?  It  ha-s  been  a  sort  of  stalking- 
horse  for  yoH,  upon  which  you  have  endeavoured  to  ride  down  the 
present  expedition.  But,  in  sx>ber  truth,,  have  you  really  got  be- 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  443 

yond  the  pictures  in  an  examination  of  this  work,  great  as  it  is 
and  splendidly  as  it  has  been  brought  out  ?  I  very  much  question 
if  you  have.  At  any  rate,  I  hold  you  to  the  comparison  even  with 
this  voyage,  and  deny  that  from  its  pages  any  warrant  can  be  de- 
rived for  a  reduction  of  the  naval  force  or  number  of  scientific 
observers  in  the  exploring  expedition.  You  have  the  work  before 
you,  so  have  I ;  come,  then,  to  the  comparison.  This  voyage 
was  made  in  the  years  1826,  '7,  '8,  '9,  in  the  corvette  Astrolabe, 
Captain  D'Urville,  with  eighty  persons,  all  told.  What  were  its 
objects  ?  They  are  set  forth  in  the  following  extract  from  the  in- 
structions of  the  minister  of  marine,  the  French  secretary  of  the 
navy,  to  the  commander. 

"  The  king,  in  confiding  to  you  the  command  of  the  corvette 
Astrolabe,  has  wished  to  put  you  in  a  situation  to  explore  some 
of  the  principal  groups  of  islands  in  the  Pacific,  which  the  Co- 
quille  only  passed  by  hastily,. and  to  give  you  the  means  of  aug- 
menting, as  much  as  possible,  the  mass  of  scientific  documents 
obtained  by  this  vessel  in  the  years  1822,  '3,  '4. 

"  His  majesty  knows  that  you  contributed  much  to  the  success 
of  this  expedition,  in  which  you  seconded  Captain  Duperrey. 
Being  called  to  direct  in  chief  the  present  one,  you  will  realize, 
without  doubt,  all  the  hopes-  which  have  originated  the  project ; 
and  the  French  navy  will  have  to  felicitate  itself  once  more  upon 
the  services  which  it  renders  to  the  sciences  in  associating  itself 
to  the  labours  of  those  who  profess  them,  and  in  submitting  to 
their  mediations  materials  collected  with  as  much  skill  as  zeal  in 
all  parts  of  the  globe." 

These  instructions  point  out  the  purposes  of  this  voyage. 
They  were  to  follow,  measurably,  in  the  track  of  the  Coquille, 
and,  at  various  points  in  the  Pacific,  to  make  more  minute  obser- 
vations where  the  other  vessels  had  passed  by  hastily.  The  mod- 
els of  the  preceding  enterprises  had  been  followed  in  preparing 
this ;  while,  with  the  exception  of  the  attention  paid  to  pendulum 
observations  by  the  former  ones,  their  general  objects  were  pre- 
cisely the  same ;  and  neither  furnished  any  precedent  for  the 
strength  which  the  great  interests  of  this  country  require  should 
be  invested  in  our  own  expedition  to  those  seas.  Indeed,  the 
most  that  can  be  said  in  favour  of  this  voyage,  constituted  as-  it 
was,  may  not  be  too  high  praise ;,  though  I  am  inclined  to  be- 


444  LETTERS    OF    A.   CITIZEN. 

lieve  that  nearly  as  much,  after  all,  was  done  in  Paris  to  make  it 
pre-eminent  in  the  way  of  embellishments,  and  in  the  commenda- 
ble style  in  which  the  French  government  got  out  the  work,  as 
was  effected  by  D'Urville  in  the  South  Seas ;  nevertheless,  the 
contributions  to  science  were  great,  and  I  doubt  if  the  French 
people  would  be  willing  to  resign  the  honour  conferred  upon 
them  by  that  voyage  alone  for  a  million  and  a  half  of  dollars  !  and 
yet  the  citizens  of  France  think  as  much  of  money  as  we  do. 
Let  us,  however,  go  somewhat  more  into  detail,  as  I  feel  that  I 
have  you  now  on  the  last  plank,  and  intend  to  remove  even  that 
from  beneath  you.  What  were  the  contributions  made  to  zoology 
by  the  naturalists  of  the  Astrolabe  ?  Rich,  you  will  answer. 
Granted.  But  by  whom  were  they  made  ?  By  any  one  ap- 
pointed by  the  government?  No,  sir,  the  voyage  would  have 
fallen  below  mediocrity  in  this  important  and  leading  division 
of  science  had  it  not  been  for  M.  Quoy,  a  volunteer  in  the  expe- 
dition. In  geology,  too,  the  only  collections  were  made  by  the 
same  gentleman.  Would  you  follow  this  example  ?  Would  you 
have  a  great  nation,  when  making  its  advent  in  maritime  discovery, 
depend  on  adventitious  aid  ?  Would  you  urge  this  as  a  model  ? 

Let  us  next  take  a  glance  at  this  model  of  models  in  its  other 
departments  of  science,  and  see  what  there  is  to  be  found  to  war- 
rant your  proposed  derangements  in  the  scientific  portion  of  the 
exploring  expedition.  The  meteorological  researches  consisted 
of  observations  on  the  thermometer  six  times  a  day,  barometer 
once  a  day,  on  the  direction  and  force  of  winds,  and  general  re- 
marks on  the  direction  and  speed  of  currents.  The  experiments 
of  Freycinet  and  Duperrey  were  on  a  far  more  extensive  scale. 
The  only  marine  thermometer  taken  out  by  D'Urville  was  broken 
fifteen  months  after  the  commencement  of  the  voyage,  and,  conse- 
quently, the  column  recording  the  varieties  of  pressure  is,  after 
this  date,  a  blank.  Don't  you  think  this  part  of  the  model  would 
have  been  nearer  perfection  if  the  French  secretary  of  the  navy 
had  furnished,  at  least,  duplicates  of  instruments  so  liable  to 
fracture  ? 

Two  of  the  four  chronometers  taken  out  by  Captain  D'Urville 
were  rendered  useless,  one  by  being  carelessly  wound  up,  the 
other  by  firing  a  salute.  The  remaining  pair  had  very  variable 
daily  rates,  and  both  ran  down  at  Tonga  Tabou.  Do  you  not 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  445 

feel  half  convinced  that  this  part  of  the  model  might  be  tinkered 
a  little  for  the  better  ? 

Observations  on  the  magnetic  dip  present  rather  a  meager 
record.  They  were  by  no  means  equal  to  those  made  during 
the  two  preceding  French  voyages,  or  by  the  late  English  expe- 
ditions to  the  Arctic  Sea.  Indeed,  all  the  needles  appear  to  have 
been  spoiled  during  the  voyage,  and  great  discordances  appear 
among  the  results  given  by  different  needles  at  the  same  locality ; 
they  were  only  used,  however,  at  sixteen  places  on  shore.  By 
the  "  sweet  flowers  of  Suc-a-Sunny,"*  you  are  ready  to  exclaim, 
"  what  ignorance,  what  presumption  is  this  ?  Attempt  to  criticise 
this  great  work,  on  which  I  have  preached  so  much  to  members 
of  Congress,  to  the  president,  to  everybody  who  would  listen  to 
me  !"  Be  patient,  sir.  If  your  zeal  to  defeat  or  cripple  the  ex- 
ploring expedition  has  placed  you  in  an  untenable  position,  the  in- 
discretion is  your  own,  not  mine ;  and  you  must  abide  the  issue. 
Yes,  sir,  prepare  for  utter  confusion  and  defeat,  when  I  tell  you 
that  all  and  much  more  than  I  have  said  of  your  venerated  model 
is  sustained  by  the  opinion  of  the  great  Arago,  the  imbodied 
soul  of  the  science  of  Europe  ;  and  if  it  were  not,  the  committee 
of  the  Naval  Lyceum  in  their  report  have  endorsed  his  wonderful 
attainments,  and  fixed  for  you  the  standard  of  his  authority. 

"  In  1829,  immediately  after  the  return  of  the  Astrolabe,"  says 
Arago,  in  his  critique,  "  Captain  D'Urville  presented  to  the  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  a  series  of  works  of  every  kind  executed  during 
the  long  voyage  of  that  vessel.  Before  the  same  body  he  read 
his  memoirs,  and  solicited  its  judgment ;  and  a  commission  was 
accordingly  appointed.  M.  Rossel  made  a  favourable  report  on 
the  hydrographical  part  of  the  voyage,  designating  the  officers 
who  executed  the  work.  On  the  26th  of  August,  George  Cuvier 
paid  a  just  compliment  to  the  ability  and  zeal  of  the  zoologists 
of  the  Astrolabe,  M.  Quoy,  the  volunteer,  and  his  assistant,  Gay- 
mard."  M.  D'Urville  is  complimented  in  the  report  as  having 
"  personally  collected  a  part  of  the  insects  of  the  collection  de- 
posited in  the  garden  of  plants." 

On  the  16th  of  November  a  tribute  of  praise  was  again  award- 
ed to  M.  Quoy  and  his  assistant,  M.  Gaymard,  for  the  geological 
specimens  they  had  brought  home ;  and,  finally,  the  venerable 

*  Name  of  the  honourable  secretary's  country  residence  in  New -Jersey. 
PP 


446  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

Des  Fontaines  spoke  flatteringly  of  the  botanical  collections  of 
M.  Lesson.  It  was,  indeed,  flattery  to  speak  highly  of  the  botan- 
ical department  of  the  Astrolabe,  as  we  shall  see  anon.  Arago 
was  charged  by  the  academy  with  the  examination  of  the  physical 
observations.  He  did  not  wish,  he  said,  to  confine  himself  to  a 
simple  inventory.  As  in  the  voyages  of  Freyeinet  and  Duperrey, 
he  attempted  to  discover  the  results  with  which  science  would  be 
enriched.  But  here  "  disappointment  followed  disappointment." 
Discouraged  "  by  the  poverty  of  scientific  observations  recorded 
in  the  official  registers,"  he  examined  the  nautical  journals.  Here, 
again,  he  was  disappointed ;  while  those  of  the  former  navigators 
had  been  so  varied,  so  rich,  so  interesting.  The  farther  he  ad- 
vanced in  his  investigations,  the  more  forcibly  was  he  impressed 
with  the  idea  that  the  commander  of  the  Astrolabe  had  voyaged 
for  three  years  "  with  his  eyes  and  ears  shut."  "  Had  he"  (D'Ur- 
ville)  "  seen,"  Arago  inquired,  "  the  zodiacal  light  ?  During  the 
fine  nights  of  the  tropics,  had  he  ascertained  its  dimensions,  its 
limits,  its  exact  position  ?  He  had  turned,  one  after  another,  all 
the  pages  of  the  register  of  M.  D'Urville,  and  was  not  able  to 
find  one  remote  allusion  to  this  remarkable  phenomenon."  Not 
yet  disheartened,  the  transparency  of  the  ocean,  the  changes  of 
colour  produced  by  the  winds,  according  to  their  force  and  direc- 
tion, the  sudden  variations  of  temperature,  upon  which  Franklin 
and  Williams  had  already  published  the  commencement  of  a  work 
so  encouraging  to  the  marine ;  the  Aurora  Australis ;  each  of 
these  curious  phenomena,  the  exact  determination  of  which  has 
been  sought  with  such  ardour  by  the  students  of  physical  science, 
was,  Arago  says,  in  succession  the  object  of  his  laborious  research  ; 
but  in  every  case  he  arrived  at  the  last  page  without  having  found 
a  word  upon  the  subject. 

At  the  frequent  solicitations  of  Captain  D'Urville  and  M.  Tas- 
teau,  the  editor  of  the  voyage,  Arago  was  prevailed  upon,  as  he 
says,  "  by  the  desire  of  obliging  more  than  anything  else,"  to  make 
out  a  oigest.  He  had  found  here  and  there  in  the  MSS.  obser- 
vations on  the  temperature  of  the  sea,  which,  at  that  time,  he  sup- 
posed were  correct  f  but  many  of  these  experiments  he  subse- 
quently found  "were  complete  failures,"  though  even  these  were 
not  without  their  use  for  future  observers.  It  was  especially 
desirable  to  determine  if  submarine  currents,  directed  from  the 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  447 

poles  towards  the  tropics,  were  not  the  cause  of  the  phenomena 
noticed.  It  seemed  probable  that  this  question  might  be  solved 
by  thermometrieal  observations  made  for  that  purpose.  These 
were  made  on  board  the  Astrolabe,  but  were  they  conducted  with 
sufficient  exactness  ?  Arago  says  he  "  does  not  hesitate  to  answer  in 
the  negative,"  and  then  proceeds  to  point  out  the  errors  committed. 
Indeed,  after  a  long  and  minute  analysis  of  the  results  of  the  voy- 
age, he  remarks,  "it  is  now  certain  that,  in  cases  of  the  most  sim- 
ple observations  in  the  world,  M.  D'Urville  has  escaped  none  of 
the  errors  he  could  possibly  commit." 

Now,  sir,  I  can  readily  imagine  the  surprise  created  in  your 
mind  at  what  Arago  has  said  of  the  results  of  this  voyage,  for  a 
full  account  of  which  I  refer  you  to  a  late  number  of  the  "  Review 
of  the  19th  Century."  How  is  this  unsatisfactory  issue  to  be  ac- 
counted for?  I  will  tell  you  in  one  line.  Among  the  persons 
engaged  in  scientific  observations  on  board  the  Astrolabe  I  find 
"M.  D'Urville  took  charge  of  botany,  entomology,  meteorology, 
geography,  historiography." 

You  have  the  solution,  sir.  D?Urville  undertook  too  much,  and 
failed ;  and  so  will  this  expedition  fail  if  you  are  permitted  to  cut 
it  down  and  reduce  its  naval  and  scientific  corps.  Human  science 
is  too  vast  and  too  minute  at  the  present  day  to  allow  of  any  man 
taking  so  wide  a  range  as  that  referred  to. 

In  the  volume  of  the  voyage  of  the  Astrolabe  devoted  to  hy- 
drography, one  eighteenth  relates  to  the  Fiji  Islands.  The  space 
occupied  in  the  work  by  observations  on  this  archipelago  is  very 
considerable  ;  on  which  account  I  select  that  portion  for  "compar- 
ison ;•"  and  here  you  will  find  your  beau  ideal  of  voyages  is  a  model 
only  to  be  avoided.  On  the  25th  of  May  Captain  DTJrville  cnme 
in  sight  of  the  Fiji  Islands,  and  passed  by  Ong-Hea  Riki.  He 
•was  eighteen  days  in  making  his  way  through  this  group,  during 
which  time  he  never  anchored,  nor  did  he  make-  a  survey  of  a 
single  harbour.  He  did  not  even  send  a  boat  on-  shore,  except  at 
one  place,  and  then  only  for  the  purpose  of  getting  off  an  anchor 
left  there  by  some  former  vessel ;  in  allusion  to  which  circum- 
stance he  remarks  that  "the  natives  appeared  more  disposed  to 
retain  the  boat  than  to  give  up  the  anchor."  When  D'Urville  ap- 
proached a  cluster  of  islands,  if  the  weather  were  clear,  he  first 
made  up-  his-  mind  by  sight  alone  whether  they  were  five  or  thirty 


448  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

miles  distant,  more  or  less,  and  then,  by  the  old  method  of  taking 
their  bearings  by  compas-s,  made  out  their  latitudes  and  longitudes 
with  wonderful  accuracy,  not  only  in  degrees,  but  even  down  to 
minutes  and  seconds.  Was  the  day  hazy,  he  went  through  the 
same  process  of  guessing  at  his  data,  and  then  drawing  his  con- 
clusions with  mathematical  precision.  Fortunately,  the  natives 
boarded  him  and  gave  him  the  names  of  the  islands.  In  his 
"  Tableau  des  Positions"  one  hundred  and  ten  islands  of  the  two 
hundred  which  this  group,  in  all  probability,  contains,  are  thus 
conspicuously  laid  down  ;  although  the  whole  time,  in  daylight, 
consumed  in  making  these  mighty  acquisitions  to  hydrographical 
knowledge  gives  only  an  average  of  two  hours  for  the  examina- 
tion of  each  member  of  the  cluster !  Wonderful  results  !  Beau- 
tiful model  for  the  exploring  expedition.  Sir,  this  group,  with  all 
its  riches  in  natural  history,  still  remains  to  be  examined.  The 
plan  of  D'UrvihVs  voyage,  and  the  force  at  his  disposal,  were  alike 
unsuited  to  the  task ;  and  what  he  accomplished,  for  all  that  it  is 
worth  to  navigation,  had  almost  as  well  remained  undone.  Three 
months  is  the  shortest  period  that  the  expedition,  with  all  its  force, 
should  remain  in  this  archipelago  ! 

As  regards  botany,  your  favourite  science,  the  researches  made 
during  the  voyages  of  the  Astrolabe  were,  in  like  manner,  exceed- 
ingly superficial.  The  only  collections  worthy  of  notice  at  all 
were  those  made  at  New-Zealand  and  Ascension ;  and  even  at 
those  places  few  new  plants  were  discovered.  Three  hundred 
and  twenty  species  belonging  to  New-Zealand  were  known  pre- 
vious to  D'Urville's  visit  there  ;  and  on  that  occasion  only  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety  species  were  obtained,  three  tenths  of  which  had 
been  seen  and  described  in  the  voyages  of  Captain  Cook  by  Sir 
Joseph  Banks,  Dr.  Solander,  Sparmann,  and  the  Forsters,  and  in 
those  of  Vancouver,  by  Mr.  Menzies. 

M.  Achille  Richard,  who  prepared  the  botany  of  the  voyage  for 
publication,  could  not  have  had  a  very  exalted  opinion  of  the  la- 
bours of  DTTrville  and  M.  Lesson  in  this  department,  for  he  has 
not  confined  himself  to  their  collection,  but  has  compiled  a  general 
Flora  of  New-Zealand,  by  copying  the  description  of  all  the  plants 
found  there,  from  Cook's  first  voyage  to  the  present  time.  In  this 
branch,  as  in  most  others,  your  vaunted  model  was  far  inferior  to 
the  voyages  of  Freycinet  and  Duperrey  ;  indeed,  the  relative  value 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  449 

and  importance  of  the  three  expeditions,  so  far  as  botany  is  con- 
cerned, are  in  the  order  of  their  priority  in  date.  By  far  the  most 
extensive  and  valuable  collections  were  made  in  the  earliest,  that 
of  Captain  Freycinet ;  Duperrey's  is  next  in  rank ;  while  the  latest 
(that  of  D'Urville  in  the  Astrolabe)  follows  longo  intervallo,  both 
as  to  the  extent  and  interest  of  the  specimens. 

But  although  the  botanical  department  of  the  latter  expedition 
was  more  imperfectly  filled  than  in  either  of  the  two  which  im- 
mediately preceded  it,  do  not  imagine  that  they  were  by  any  means 
sans  reproche  in  this  division.  In  each  instance  a  capital  error 
was  committed  in  not  sending  out  a  botanical  draughtsman.  This 
deficiency  was,  doubtless,  seriously  felt  by  M.  Gaudichard,  the  in- 
defatigable botanist  who  accompanied  Freycinet,  as  he  was  par- 
ticularly interested  in  vegetable  anatomy  and  physiology,  and  must 
have  frequently  desired  magnified  drawings  and  sketches  of  dis- 
sections, &c.,  which  could  only  be  made  from  the  living  plants. 
In  none  of  these  expeditions  were  any  researches  of  consequence 
made  beyond  the  coasts  of  the  islands  visited ;  while  at  some 
places  (as  Admiralty  Island,  the  Carolines,  and  others),  touched  at 
by  Freycinet,  the  time  allowed  for  observation  was  so  limited  that 
M.  Gaudichard  did  not  even  land  ;  but  was  obliged  to  content  him- 
self with  what  he  could  obtain  from  the  water.  From  the  mate- 
rials collected,  however,  he  prepared  a  digest  of  the  botany  of  the 
voyage,  from  which  he  deservedly  gained  high  reputation ;  and 
this  is  the  only  instance  in  the  three  enterprises  where  the  per- 
son who  collected  the  plants  arranged  and  described  them  on  his 
return.  So  far  the  model  is  a  good  one.  Those  who  collect 
should  be  able  to  describe. 

I  trust,  sir,  you  are  now  satisfied  that  a  comparison  of  the  or- 
ganization, naval  and  scientific,  of  the  "exploring  expedition," 
with  "  the  most  successful  expeditions  of  like  character  heretofore 
sent  out  by  the  maritime  powers  of  Europe,"  will  afford  no  war- 
rant for  your  efforts  at  reduction.  On  the  contrary,  were  it  possi- 
ble for  you  to  take  the  enlarged  and  practical  views  of  a  statesman, 
as  regards  this  subject,  you  would  see  the  obvious  propriety  of  in- 
creasing the  number  of  small  vessels,  which  additional  force  could 
be  so  advantageously  employed  in  useful  nautical  labours,  under 
the  general  direction  and  protection  of  the  flagship,  at  an  expense 
so  trifling  to  the  government.  One  would  think,  indeed,  that  a 


450  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

true  "  Friend  to  the  Navy,"  occupying  your  station,  would  be  anx- 
ious to  employ  as  large  a  number  of  officers  on  a  service  so  well 
calculated  to  give  them  high  attainments  as  well  as  distinction  in 
their  profession ;  to  make  them  personally  acquainted  with  seas 
where  our  future  seafights  must  take  place ;  so  that  where  they 
should  command  they  could  themselves  be  pilots !  You  would 
also  perceive  that  the  results  of  the  expedition  might  lead  to  the 
formation  of  a  hydrographical  bureau  in  your  department ;  in  a 
word,  that  it  would  be  of  more  importance  to  the  navy  than  the 
service  of  all  the  force  in  all  other  squadrons  during  the  same  pe- 
riod ! 

I  must  now,  sir,  take  leave  of  you,  and,  in  doing  so,  would  ap- 
peal, not  to  your  candour,  but  to  public  justice,  if  I  have  not  fairly 
met  and  completely  overthrown  your  objections,  stated  and  implied, 
to  the  magnitude  of  the  scale  upon  which  this  expedition  is  orga- 
nized ?  Have  I  not  shown  that  the  naval  force  authorized  and 
the  scientific  corps  engaged  are  barely  adequate  to  the  vast  sphere 
of  action  to  be  embraced,  the  multifarious  objects  to  be  accom- 
plished, and  the  mighty  interests  involved  ?  Have  I  not  shown 
that  your  outcry  about  economy  was  a  mere  cloak  for  your  enmi- 
ty ;  and  that  the  remuneration  of  the  country  for  its  outlay  would 
be  almost  in  geometric  ratio  with  its  degrees  of  efficiency  ? 
Have  I  not  shown  that  the  almost  limitless  field  for  those  hydro- 
graphical  surveys  so  necessary  for  the  protection  of  our  wide- 
spread commercial  interests  in  the  two  Pacifies  could  not  be  ex- 
amined with  the  care  which  humanity  as  well  as  good  policy  de- 
mands, by  an  enterprise  of  inferior  capacity  ?  Have  I  not  fairly 
met  the  comparisons  you  have  invited,  even  with  the  climax  of 
your  models,  the  voyage  of  the  Astrolabe,  which  you  have  culled 
par  excellence  from  all  the  rest,  and  held  up  exultingly  as  a  weap- 
on of  attack,  a  shield  of  defence,  a  precedent  and  a  pattern  ?  This 
voyage  is  in  one  respect,  I  own,  worthy  of  all  praise  as  well  as 
of  imitation ;  I  refer  to  the  magnificent  style  in  which  the  whole 
work  has  been  brought  out !  Have  I  not  shown  that,  according 
to  your  reasoning,  the  Pacific  squadron  should  be  broken  up  or 
materially  reduced  ?  You  have  on  that  station  a  ship  of  the  line, 
two  sloops,  and  two  schooners.  On  an  average,  half  of  this  force 
is  constantly  at  anchor  in  the  bay  of  Callao,  the  principal  port  of 
Peru ;  while  the  exports  from  the  United  States  to  that  republic, 


LETTERS    OP    A    CITIZEN.  451 

for  the  year  ending  September,  1834,  the  latest  returns  within  my 
reach,  amounted  only  to  fifty-eight  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
sixty-three  dollars  ;  the  price  of  a  single  whale-ship. 

Now  in  this  account,  as  you  have  done  with  reference  to  the 
expedition,  first  put  down  the  cost  of  the  vessels,  then  calculate 
and  add  the  amount  necessary  to  the  mission  for  three  years,  and 
behold  what  an  enormous  sum  !  The  whole  of  our  trade  protected 
by  our  Pacific  squadron  has  not  amounted,  since  1830,  to  a  mil- 
lion of  dollars  per  annum  ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  unsettled  state 
of  the  countries  with  which  this  traffic  is  carried  on,  they  have  no 
force  to  prevent  a  sloop-of-war  and  two  schooners  from  exacting 
respect  to  our  flag.  What  an  argument  here  for  reduction  !  But 
no  statesman  reasons  thus.  It  is  the  settled  policy  of  the  country 
to  have  constantly  available  an  efficient  naval  force.  The  explo- 
ring vessels  should  be  regarded  as  a  part  of  that  force ;  and  the 
only  point  at  issue  ought  to  be,  whether  this  great  nation  could 
afford  the  outfits,  and  forty-three  thousand  dollars  a  year  for  the 
salaries  of  the  civil  corps  ! 

Having  now,  as  I  feel,  discharged  my  duty,  it  would  give  me 
pleasure  to  anticipate  that,  like  a  generous  antagonist  foiled  in  a* 
hard  encounter,  you  will  yield  with  a  good  grace,  as  yield  I  think 
you  must !  ! !  Sorry  I  am  to  say,  however,  that  I  can  find  no  pre- 
cedent on  which  to  base  so  pleasing  a  supposition.  But  where 
can  you  take  a  fresh  stand  ?  Let  me  hope  in  charity  that  your 
dernier  resort,  after  the  choice  of  a  new  commander,  will  not  be 
once  more  to  intrench  yourself  in  inveterate  obstinacy,  and  from 
behind  that  impregnable  barrier  to  issue  your  dicta  against  sci- 
ence, humanity,  commercial  interests,  and  national  honour! 
Very  respectfully, 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  your  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

New-York,  January  4,  183d. 


452  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN 

XIII. 

To  the  Hon.  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  Secretary  of  War. 

SIR, 

One  of  the  raost  gifted  minds  of  the  present  day  has  said,  with 
how  much  truth  n'importe,  that  "  the  world  knows  little  of  its 
greatest  men."  If  to  contribute,  therefore,  in  the  slightest  degree, 
in  making  you  better  known  to  your  countrymen — though  there 
are  many,  and  the  number  is  rapidly  increasing,  who  think  they 
know  you  well  enough  at  present — were  to  detract  from  your 
chances  of  being  rated  even  moderately  among  the  distinguished 
men  of  our  time,  I  think  I  should  desist  from  my  present  task. 
That  task  would  not  have  been  entered  upon  if  the  matter  for 
which  I  have  taken  you  in  hand  were  not  of  a  public  and  official 
character,  in  which  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  consult  my  private  feel- 
ings. You  must  submit,  therefore,  to  be  better  known,  even  at  the 
imminent  peril  of  your  greatness ;  for  you  have  done  something, 
0sir,  besides  "  hanging  out  the  banner,"  for  which  you  ought  to  be 
remembered — and  shall  be.  I  do  not  allude  to  the  military  genius 
you  have  evinced  in  the  direction  of  the  Seminole  War,  and  still 
less  to  the  nice  points  of  honour,  as  yet  undetermined,  between 
you  and  the  shade  of  Osceola.  These,  with  some  other  matters, 
belong  to  the  impartial  historian,  who,  in  compassion  to  the  living, 
may  be  induced  to  defer  his  labours  till  you  are  dead. 

When  the  late  secretary  of  the  navy  had  succeeded  in  commit- 
ting a  felony  upon  his  own  reputation,  by  his  extraordinary  efforts 
to  destroy  the  Exploring  Expedition;  when  a  consecutive  series 
of  defeats  had  attended  his  puny  but  vindictive  efforts  to  accom- 
plish that  object ;  when  public  opinion,  with  a  unanimity  that  dis- 
regarded all  party  lines,  had  fixed  the  imperishable  seal  of  its 
condemnation  upon  him ;  when  the  House  of  Representatives  con- 
tained within  its  walls  no  individual  so  destitute  of  self-respect  as 
to  raise  his  voice  to  palliate,  much  less  to  attempt  to  justify,  the  of- 
fccial  conduct  of  this  cabinet  minister,  whose  continuance  in  office 
one  day  after  the  retirement  of  the  late  executive  (to  say  nothing 
of  his  appointment  in  the  first  place)  was  inexplicable  to  politicians 
of  both  parties,  as  well  as  an  enigma  to  the  nation  at  large ;  when, 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  453 

despite  all  exaggeration  as  to  cost,  despite  the  misapplication  of 
funds,  the  changing  of  vessels,  the  efforts  to  foment  discontent  in 
the  service  in  regard  to  organization,  the  delay  in  reports,  the 
withholding  of  specific  information  called  for  by  Congress,  the 
backing  and  filling  without  knowledge,  the  indecision,  the  avoid- 
ing of  friends  and  the  caucusing  with  opponents  of  the  enterprise, 
the  inconsistency  in  everything  save  implacable  hatred  to  the  ex- 
pedition, and  all  those  who  had  done  most  to  promote  it  and  had 
been  longest  attached  to  it — I  say,  when,  in  spite  of  all  these 
drawbacks,  the  enterprise  was  ascertained  to  be  too  strong  for  the 
secretary,  and  that  go  it  must,  the  federal  executive  did  so  far  in- 
terfere as  to  transfer  the  final  arrangements  to  your  hands.  Yes, 
sir,  it  was  at  this  time,  Jan.,  1838,  that  the  final  plan  of  selecting 
a  new  commander  in  sea  service  (a  novus  homo),  and  vessels  suit- 
ed to  his  dignity,  was  taken  from  the  hands  of  the  Hon.  Mahlon 
Dickerson,  secretary  of  the  navy,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  Joel 
R.  Poinsett,  secretary  of  war.  Of  the  manner  in  which  you  per- 
formed that  duty  it  is  my  present  purpose  to  speak,  and,  as  it  is  my 
right  to  do,  to  speak  plainly.  If  I  have  delayed  this  duty  longer 
than  you  expected,  though  not  so  long  as  you  had  hoped,  my  apol- 
ogy for  the  seeming  neglect  is,  that  I  desired  the  public  mind 
should  have  time  to  get  over,  in  some  degree,  the  disgust  it  felt  at 
the  doings  of  your  predecessor,  before  it  was  again  nauseated  by 
an  exposition  of  what  you  had  done. 

Sir,  when  the  announcement  reached  the  public  that  the  final 
arrangements  and  the  despatching  of  the  squadron  had  been  con- 
fided to  you,  a  general  feeling  of  delight  was  experienced  by  the 
friends  of  the  expedition.  The  unnecessary  delays  and  the  un- 
dignified action  of  your  predecessor,  so  ruinous  to  the  enterprise 
and  so  disgraceful  to  the  country,  it  was  now  hoped,  would  be 
succeeded  by  a  very  different  policy.  You  had  been  in  the  War 
Department  but  a  very  short  time.  You  brought  with  you  the 
character  of  a  very  considerate  man.  Intelligence  and  refinement 
were  conceded  to  you.  The  path  before  you  was  plain  and  easy ; 
and  your  smattering  attainments  in  science  were  at  least  sufficient 
to  render  you  wholly  inexcusable  in  departing  from  that  path,  see- 
ing that  such  a  dereliction  must  necessarily  be  by  design.  If  a 
fussy  air  of  promptness  in  the  despatch  of  business  had  given  you 
the  reputation  of  more  ability  than  you  actually  possess,  the  fault 


454  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

was  not  yours ;  at  any  rate,  it  was  temporary  capital  in  hand,  easily 
to  be  used  for  good.  No  one  supposed  you  would  prostitute  the 
dignity  of  your  station  by  indecently  carrying  out  the  imbecile, 
vindictive,  and  prescriptive  measures  of  Secretary  Dickerson. 
Your  own  honour,  it  was  thought,  would  prevent  you  from  inflict- 
ing an  incurable  wound  upon  the  honour  and  feelings  of  the  ser- 
vice, by  selecting  for  the  command  any  officer  over  the  heads  of 
his  seniors  and  superiors  in  professional  experience  and  every  es- 
sential requisite  for  the  conduct  of  such  an  undertaking  ;  men  who 
would  have  been  proud  of  such  a  position,  but  who  would  not 
have  purchased  the  distinction  at  a  price  so  revolting. 

Stand  forth,  sir,  from  the  mist  which  has  been  so  dexterously 
thrown  round  your  official  acts  in  reference  to  your  connexion  with 
the  South  Sea  Expedition.  As  a  high  functionary  of  the  govern- 
ment and  a  man  of  honour,  you  can  have  no  objection  to  being 
summoned  before  the  public,  nor  can  you  demur  to  the  public  judg- 
ment being  invoked  upon  your  official  deeds.  If  your  countrymen 
shall  become  acquainted  with  many  things  which  you  had  hoped 
to  keep  concealed  from  them,  and  your  actions  shall  be  found  to 
have  been  unworthy  the  station  you  fill  and  the  character  you 
brought  into  it,  the  fault  is  yours,  not  mine ;  and  you  may  learn 
from  it  the  force  of  the  conclusion  arrived  at  by  the  man  in  the 
play,  that  honesty  was  the  best  policy,  for  he  had  tried  both. 

I  may  not  be  able,  sir,  to  define  clearly  the  exact  part  you  per- 
formed in  the  early  stages  of  your  agency  in  the  business  of  the 
expedition.  You  dabbled  in  that  matter  long  before  the  public 
were  apprized  that  the  Hon.  Mahlon  Dickerson  had  in  you  a  secret 
coadjutor,  while  he  was  earning  for  himself  that  distinction  which 
the  common  sense  of  the  nation  has  since,  with  such  perfect  una- 
nimity, awarded  him.  In  all  doubtful  cases,  I  shall  not  trouble  my- 
self to  inquire  how  much  of  this  was  yours  or  how  much  of  that 
was  his.  There  has  been  throughout,  as  I  shall  show  before  I  have 
done  with  you,  such  a  oneness  in  the  spirit  and  manner  of  your  ac- 
tions, that,  like  Eng  and  Chang,  you  must  be  content  to  jog  along 
united  for  the  remainder  of  your  days,  adjusting  the  honours  be- 
tween you. 

I  might  ask  which  of  you  concocted,  in  June,  1837,  the  plan  of  ap- 
pointing five  captains,  including  the  navy  commissioners,  all  known 
enemies  of  the  expedition,  to  decide  on  the  expediency  of  with- 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  455 

drawing  the  Macedonian  from  the  squadron.  Was  it  not  under- 
stood, sir,  at  the  time,  that  if  the  commission  of  five  cut  the  Mace- 
donian off  from  the  expedition,  she  was  to  be  sent  immediately  to 
the  West  Indies  as  the  flag-ship,  in  command  of  an  officer  who 
was  known  to  stand  very  high  in  your  favour  ? 

But  I  will  leave  this  period,  and  hasten  to  the  time  when  you 
had  a  direct  and  acknowledged  control.  After  Commodore  Jones, 
worn  out  in  health,  and  more  worn  out  in  spirit,  by  the  endless  im- 
pediments and  petty  annoyances  so  industriously  thrown  in  his  way, 
resigned  his  command  on  November  30th,  1838,  what  were  the 
scenes  and  doings  which  followed  ?  The  compliment  of  the  com- 
mand was  tendered  to  Captain  Shubrick,  who  did  not  like  the  ves- 
sels, and  declined  it.  Captain  Kearney  was  next  invited.  The 
new  light  that  it  was  not  a  naval  expedition  had  not  yet  burst 
upon  you,  but  it  will  be  seen  that  your  mind  was  rapidly  undergo- 
ing a  transition  tending  to  that  point.  When  the  Hon.  Mahlon 
Dickerson  had  conceded  the  frigate  to  Captain  Kearney,  did  you 
not  interpose,  and  cause  the  order  to  that  effect  to  be  hastily  with- 
drawn 1  And  did  not  this  and  similar  conduct  on  the  part  of  both, 
in  reference  to  other  vessels,  leave  that  officer  without  the  hope  of 
effecting  anything  creditable,  and  cause  him  reluctantly  to  retire 
from  an  enterprise  upon  which,  under  more  favourable  auspices,  he 
would  have  entered  with  so  much  zeal  and  professional  ambition  ? 

I  come  now  to  the  case  of  Captain  Gregory ;  one  which  I  have 
no  doubt  you  would  much  prefer  should  be  passed  over  in  silence. 
When  called  to  take  charge  of  the  expedition,  this  officer  stood  at 
the  head  of  the  list  of  master-commanders,  and  was  entitled  to  his 
promotion  to  the  rank  of  post-captain,  independent  of  his  com- 
mand in  the  expedition.  But  so  tenacious  were  you  at  this  time  of 
the  rights  of  seniority,  so  important  did  you  deem  ra?i/t'^-ay,  that 
the  commander  should  be  of  the  highest  grade  (even  after  the  Ma- 
cedonian had  been  withdrawn) — that  your  locum  scrivens  of  the 
Navy  Department  was  dragooned  into  putting  his  name  to  certain 
papers  dictated  or  prepared  for  him  by  you  for  that  end.  Was  it 
you  or  Governor  Dickerson — one  of  you  it  was,  I  know — that  of- 
fered Captain  Gregory  his  promotion,  or  to  send  in  his  name  to  the 
Senate,  which  was  the  same  thing,  as  soon  as  he  (Captain  Greg- 
ory) should  accept  the  command  of  the  expedition?  Though 
Captain  Gregory,  as  I  understand,  very  properly  refused  his  pro- 


456  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

motion  with  the  conditions  annexed,  he  was  promoted  and  also  ap- 
pointed to  the  command.  Did  you  not  then  tell  the  public,  through 
Congress,  that  Captain  Gregory  had  been  ordered  to  the  command, 
and  that  he  would  not  be  relieved  ?  Was  he  not,  at  your  instance, 
ordered  to  report  to  Commodore  Ridgely,  and  did  he  not  thus  re- 
port for  duty  in  this  enterprise  ?  Why,  and  for  what  purpose,  was 
he  superseded  in  this  command,  and  by  what  process  was  Lieutenant 
Wilkes  put  in  his  place  1  Was  not  Captain  Gregory  a  marked 
man,  even  before  he  left  Washington  for  New- York  to  assume  the 
command  of  the  expedition,  because  he  had  not  intimated  his 
readiness  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  objecting  to  a  certain  indi- 
vidual, or,  rather,  to  certain  individuals,  whom  it  was  your  wish  to 
sever  from  the  expedition ;  an  act  which  you  lacked  the  moral 
courage  to  do  yourself  openly  and  aboveboard  1  What  conver- 
sations did  you  hold — what  arguments  did  you  use  with  your  lieu- 
tenant on  this  point  before  he  was  installed  commander  ?  Was 
not  the  price  of  the  extraordinary  favours  bestowed  on  him,  his 
previous  consent  to  do  what  no  other  officer  would  agree  to  per- 
form, viz.,  to  help  you  to  help  Governor  Dickerson  to  exclude  an 
individual  or  individuals  who  had  never  played  the  sycophant,  or 
done  aught  justly  to  offend,  or,  especially,  to  conciliate  your  favour  ? 
Your  conscience  on  a  death-bed  would  answer  all  these  questions  in 
the  affirmative,  though  in  good  health  I  presume  you  would  not  be 
willing  to  own  them.  At  any  rate,  should  any  of  the  clique  turn 
state's  evidence,  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  prove  the  affirma- 
tive. Having  now  fairly  started  in  this  matter,  you  may  expect  to 
hear  from  me  again. 

Respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

•   CITIZEN. 

New- York,  June  10,  1839. 


XIV. 

To  the  Honourable  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  Secretary  of  War. 

Sm, 

I  resume,  with  the  first  leisure  hour  since  my  last  letter,  the  re- 
iw  I  therein  commenced  of  your  Jesuitical  action  in  connexion 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  457 

with  the  South  Sea  Exploring  Expedition ;  and  I  regret  sincerely 
that  the  subject  is  not  a  more  inviting  one. 

It  may  here  be  proper  to  state,  that  about  the  time  Captain 
Gregory  was  relieved  from  the  command,  or,  more  correctly  speak- 
ing, superseded,  an  impression  prevailed  to  a  considerable  extent 
that  the  older  officers  of  the  navy  had  not  shown  a  becoming  read- 
iness to  take  charge  of  the  expedition,  and  that  they  had  success- 
ively declined  or  evaded  the  service,  on  grounds  incompatible  with 
professional  duty  and  ambition.  As  a  general  charge,  I  leave  this 
point  in  media  ;  while  in  many  instances  I  know  the  imputation 
to  be  alike  wanton,  ungenerous,  and  unjust.  I  know  farther,  and 
so  do  you,  that  the  extraordinary  selection  finally  made  was  justi- 
fied on  this  assumption  in  derogation  of  older  officers.  It  was  so 
intimated  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  in  the  quasi  defence  which, 
from  a  few  weak  points,  you  received  there.  Many  members  of 
Congress  were  under  this  impression,  and  were  not  a  little  in- 
fluenced by  it,  in  maintaining  silence  when  they  saw  the  rules 
of  the  service  and  the  rights  of  the  officers  alike  trampled  on  by 
your  appointment.  Sir,  did  you  not  give  currency  to  this  impres- 
sion ?  Will  you  deny  having  done  so  1  Did  you  not  say  that 
the  older  officers  had  received  a  rebuke  or  lesson  from  which  they 
might  profit  in  future  ?  And  what  atonement  have  you  made,  or 
can  you  make,  personally,  to  those  you  have  so  deeply  injured  ? 
You  have  paltered,  in  a  double  sense,  with  truth  and  honour :  what 
I  charge  I'll  fix  upon  you.  The  appointment  of  your  commander 
was  justified  on  the  ground  that  his  seniors  and  superiors  declined 
the  service.  Now  mark  how  plain  a  tale  shall  put  you  down. 

Sir,  neither  you  nor  Governor  Dickerson  dare  deny  that  Captain 
Kearney  did  agree  to  take  charge  of  the  squadron  substantially  as 
Commodore  Jones  left  it ;  that  he  agreed  to  take  the  whole  scien- 
tific corps — nay,  refused  to  object  to  them,  as  it  was  more  than  in- 
timated to  him  that  he  might ;  that  he  asked  no  change  in 
commanders,  and   only  required   that  Lieutenant  Gedn'--,- 
taught  Lieutenant  Wilkes  the  rudiments  of  hydrography  ; 

be  appointed  second  in  command  on  board  the  Macedoni  'int 
Governor  Dickerson  did  agree  to  and  ratify  this  arrangement ;  that 
Captain  Kearney,  with  that  promptness  peculiar  to  his  character, 
on  the  strength  of  the  authority  given,  actually  directed  Lieutenant 
Gedney  forthwith  to  prepare  letters  to  Messrs.  Lieutenants  Dornin 
U 


458  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

and  Glynn,  requesting  them  to  get  under  way  with  their  respective 
vessels  within  five  days  after  receipt  of  such  letters,  proceed  to 
Rio,  and  there  await  his  (Captain  Kearney's)  arrival  in  the  flag- 
ship !  Surely  there  was  no  want  of  promptness — no  shrinking 
from  duty  manifested  here.  These  arrangements  were  made  late 
in  the  afternoon.  Early  on  the  following  morning,  Captain  Kear- 
ney, accompanied  by  Lieutenant  Gedney,  repaired  to  the  depart- 
ment, for  the  purpose  of  despatching  orders  and  of  putting  the  squad- 
ron immediately  in  motion.  But  a  night  had  intervened ;  and  during 
that  night  the  spoiler  came  !  You,  sir,  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  interfered, 
and  checked  the  enterprise  when  thus,  I  may  say,  on  the  very  eve 
of  its  advent.  It  was  a  dark  deed,  and  darkness  had  well  been 
chosen  for  its  accomplishment.  The  first  salutation  received  by 
Captain  Kearney  from  Secretary  Dickerson  was  an  announcement 
that  the  arrangements  of  yesterday  were  all  broken  up ;  that  he 
(Dickerson)  had  nothing  farther  to  do  with  the  expedition,  and 
that  Captain  Kearney  must  now  call  upon  you — Joel  R.  Poinsett. 

Well,  he  did  call  upon  you  during  the  afternooon  of  the  same 
day.  He  was  informed  by  you  that  the  Macedonian  must  be  with- 
drawn ;  and  thus  was  accomplished  what  your  joint  management 
connected  with  the  famous  Norfolk  Commission  had  failed  to  ef- 
fect. Thus  was  undone  what  Governor  Dickerson  had  done,  or 
pretended  to  do,  only  the  day  before ;  thus  was  nailed  to  the  coun- 
ter as  base  coin  the  imputation  that  no  officer  of  rank  would  take 
charge  of  the  expedition.  Whether  your  object  was  now  to  give 
the  Macedonian  to  a  favourite  as  the  flag-ship  of  a  home  instead  of 
the  West  India  squadron,  or  you  acted  from  other  motives  not  now 
to  be  dwelt  upon,  I  leave  you  to  explain. 

All  this,  however,  failed  to  drive  Captain  Kearney  from  the 
command ;  and  a  proposition  to  substitute  a  large  merchant  vessel, 
capable  of  accommodating  the  scientific  corps,  as  the  flag-ship, 
was  proposed,  ?.nd  acceded  to  by  him.  But  this  arrangement  was 
afterward  abandoned  on  your  part ;  and,  after  having  done  as  much 
mischief  as  you  could  perpetrate  within  twenty-four  hours,  you  pre- 
tended to  withdraw  from  all  farther  responsibility  (pretended,!  say, 
for  it  was  only  pretence),  and  the  whole  matter  seemed  to  slide 
into  a  general  'responsible  Committee  of  Conference,  comprising 
Governor  Dickerson,  the  commissioners,  and  yourself,  by  whom  it 
was  determined  that  the  squadron  should  cortsist  of  only  one  sloop, 


LETTERS    OP   A    CITIZEN.  459 

one  brig,  one  schooner,  and  the  storeship.  When  matters  had  ar- 
rived at  this  crisis,  then,  and  not  till  then,  Captain  Kearney,  dis- 
gusted, disheartened,  and  losing  all  confidence  in  being  able  to  ac- 
complish the  objects  of  the  expedition  with  such  a  force,  retired, 
as  I  have  heretofore  stated.  Thus,  sir,  upon  you  rests  the  responsi- 
bility of  having  in  this  instance  produced  a  state  of  things  perfectly 
in  consonance  with  the  whole  action  of  your  predecessor,  and  which 
has  subsequently  been  used  as  a  justification  of  the  wanton  outrage 
committed  upon  the  feelings  and  rights  of  the  service,  and  indi- 
rectly, at  the  same  time,  upon  the  science  of  the  country.  I  re- 
peat, that  upon  you  rests  the  responsibility,  unless  you  bring  in  the 
governor  and  the  commissioners  to  share  it  with  you,  which  I  am 
by  no  means  disposed  to  say  you  may  not  justly  claim  to  do. 

In  this  latter  arrangement,  the  plan  of  the  commissioners,  it  is 
well  known,  wras  to  crowd  the  entire  scientific  corps  on  board  the 
store-ship  Relief,  with  canvass-screened  state-rooms,  to  be  battened 
down  like  live-stock  in  rough  seas  and  stormy  weather.  If  it  were 
not  as  generally  believed  as  such  an  event  is  generally  desired,  that 
the  navy  board's  existence  is  drawing  to  a  close,  my  respect  for  the 
men  composing  it  would  not  restrain  the  expression  of  my  opinions, 
derived  from  all  that  I  have  seen  and  know  of  the  baneful  influ- 
ence of  that  irresponsible  concern  upon  the  vital  interests  of  the 
naval  service  of  the  country.  From  what  I  have  now  stated,  the 
public  will  learn — what  the  navy  and  many  private  individuals,  as 
well  as  public  functionaries,  have  all  along  known — how  youfaii- 
ed  in  this  instance  to  procure  an  officer  of  rank  to  take  charge  of 
the  expedition ! ! ! 

After  Gregory,  the  next  in  hand  was  Captain  Joseph  Smith,  an 
officer  of  high  standing,  and  of  liberal  and  enlarged  views.  Your 
treaty  operations  with  this  commander  were  curious,  and  are  de- 
serving of  a  brief  notice.  It  will  be  seen  that  they  were  equally 
insincere  on  your  part  with  the  proffer  of  official  dignity  so  recent- 
ly extended  to  Captain  Kearney.  Among  the  junior  officers 
named,  Captain  Smith  asked  for  Lieutenant  Wilkes  to  command  one 
of  the  small  vessels ;  a  station  in  all  respects  commensurate  with 
his  rank,  standing,  and  qualifications.  Let  it  be  remembered  how 
short  a  time  had  elapsed  since  this  station — the  command  of  a 
small  vessel — had  been  mentioned  to  Commodore  Jones  by  your 
predecessor,  and  now  locum  tenens  of  the  Navy  Department,  as  a 


460  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

fitting  appointment  for  this  same  officer !  Out  of  this  point  much 
difficulty  had  been  made,  and,  I  have  no  doubt,  one  motive  of  Cap- 
tain Smith  in  asking  for  Lieutenant  Wilkes  was  the  hope  of  recon- 
ciling conflicting  elements.  The  highest  post  ever  claimed  for  this 
individual  was  now  tendered  to  him.  Why  was  it  not  accepted? 
Can  you  or  Governor  Dickerson  tell  ?  Where  slumbered  your  au- 
thority, of  which  we  heard  so  much  when  you  first  took  charge  of 
the  expedition  ?  Where  was  the  army  discipline  you  then  spoke 
of  using,  in  making  up  the  personel  of  the  squadron  ?  Did  Lieu- 
tenant Wilkes  find  favour  in  your  sight  from  the  fine  illustration  of 
army  discipline  he  exhibited  in  not  only  declining  a  better  position 
than  he  and  Dickerson  had  clamoured  for,  but  also  in  setting  an 
example  of  subordination  and  obedience  for  young  officers,  by  tell- 
ing Captain  Smith  that  he  would  resign  his  commission  in  the  ser- 
vice rather  than  consent  to  take  a  subordinate  position  in  the  ex- 
pedition, or,  of  course,  anything  short  of  the  entire  command  ? 
Such  a  modest,  beautiful  exhibit  of  professional  zeal  was  not  to  be 
lost  upon  you ;  and  your  nice  perceptions  of  justice  and  high  sense 
of  honour,  it  would  seem,  at  once  indicated  to  you  the  honoured 
instrument  with  which  to  punish  older  officers  for  their  unwilling- 
ness to  take  command'!  Sir,  do  you  believe  that  there  is  a  sin- 
gle officer  of  independent  feeling  in  the  navy  who  believes  that 
Lieutenant  Wilkes  declined  the  station  offered  to  him  by  Captain 
Smith  without  having  previously  received  some  slight  intimation  of 
what  was  in  store  for  him,  and  that  the  time  had  now  arrived  when 
the  mask  might  be  thrown  aside  1  I  do  not  say  that  there  is  any 
record  of  this  understanding,  nor  do  I  expect  that  either  of  you  will 
own  it;  but  this  I  will  say,  that  people  will  think  what  they 
please ;  nor  can  you  prevent  their  thoughts  taking  the  bent  to  which 
1  have  alluded,  especially  as  only  two  days  elapsed  from  the 
time  of  the  refusal  evincing  so  much  subordination,  discipline,  and 
professional  zeal  on  the  part  of  the  lieutenant,  before  it  was  cur- 
rently reported  that  he  had  been  appointed  to  the  command ! 

It  was  said  that  Captain  Smith  did  not  give  credence  to  the  re- 
port (believing  it,  in  fact,  incredible),  and  that  he  called  upon  you 
to  ascertain  what  it  meant.  Did  you  not  then  tell  him  you  were 
just  writing  a  note  to  him  ?  and  in  that  note,  which  he  after- 
ward received,  did  you  not  profess  to  have  made  every  effort  in 
your  power,  though  in  vain,  to  make  the  arrangements  Captain 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  461 

Smith  deemed  necessary?  that  they  could  not  conveniently  be 
effected,  and  that  he  was,  therefore,  relieved  from  all  farther  sus- 
pense ?  Who  can  fail  to  perceive  in  this,  though  in  a  different 
form,  the  same  species  of  official  action  which  had  been  just  ap- 
plied to  Captain  Kearney  ?  The  public  part  which  your  coadjutor, 
the  governor,  took  at  this  time  was  singularly  amusing.  He  told 
everybody  that  Captain  Smith  would  not  go  without  Wilkes,  and 
that  Commodore  Jones  would  not  go  with  him ;  neither  of  which 
statements  was  true.  The  former,  had  he  been  sustained  by  the 
department,  would  have  been  quite  ready  to  go  without  him,  and 
the  latter  never  refused  to  take  him  in  the  squadron,  in  whatever 
station  his  rank  or  his  acquirements  might  place  him. 

Sir,  you  dare  not  say  that  you  were  driven  by  necessity  into  ma- 
king your  final  appointment.  You  d  are  not  deny — because  you  know 
that  many  others  know  the  fact — that  older  and  better  qualified  of- 
ficers stood  ready  to  accept  the  command.  Could  you  look  Cap- 
tains Kearney,  Smith,  Gregory,  Kennon,  Aulick,  and  Armstrong  in 
the  face  while  giving  utterance  to  such  statements,  which  the 
whole  service  would  laugh  at  and  pronounce  untrue  1  When  you 
had  resolved  to  travel  down  the  list  from  the  grade  of  post  captain 
(to  say  nothing  farther  in  this  place  about  the  qualifications  of  oth- 
ers), was  there  nothing  which  brought  the  claims  of  Captain  James 
Armstrong  before  your  notice  ?  He  had  been  ordered  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Macedonian,  under  Commodore  Jones,  as  early  as 
1836,  and  had  immediately  thereupon  proceeded  from  Boston  to 
Norfolk  to  join  the  frigate. 

From  that  period  to  May,  1839,  he  had  been  continually  attach- 
ed to  his  vessel,  amid  scenes  of  delay  and  discouragement  more 
trying  to  an  ardent  spirit  than  the  navigation  of  the  Polar  Seas. 
To  the  substantial  requisites  for  the  command  of  such  an  expedition 
he  had  unquestionable  and  high  claims.  At  any  rate,  was  it  not 
your  duty  to  look  into  those  claims  before  you  ventured  to  trample 
upon  his  feelings  and  rights  as  an  officer  ?  Did  not  the  records 
of  the  Navy  Department  show  that  he  had  entered  the  service  in 
1809,  near  thirty  years  ago  ?  and  that  he  had  borne  himself  gal- 
lantly at  New-Orleans  on  board  the  bomb-ketch  Etna,  and  after- 
ward, while  commander  of  one  of  the  gunboats  (though  he  was  then 
quite  a  young  midshipman),  in  fighting  and  subduing  the  Barrataria 
pirates  ? 


462  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

From  1811  to  1813  he  was  in  the  brig  Siren,  where  he  perform- 
ed his  duty  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  commander.  He  was 
also  in  the  sloop-of-war  Fralies  when  she  was  captured  by  a  superior 
force  in  1814,  and  remained  a  prisoner  of  war  until  March,  1815. 
Within  a  month  after  his  return  home  he  joined  the  frigate  Con- 
gress as  acting  lieutenant,  and  sailed  for  the  Mediterranean.  From 
that  vessel  he  was  transferred  to  the  Washington  74,  Commodore 
Chauncey  in  command,  in  which  vessel  he  returned  to  New-York 
in  1818.  After  a  very  short  respite  he  was  ordered  to  the  Inde- 
pendence, and,  at  the  expiration  of  a  few  months,  from  her  to  the 
Columbus  74,  when  he  served  as  first  lieutenant  under  Commodore 
Bainbridge  till  August,  1821.  He  had  scarce  come  on  shore  from 
this  cruise  before  he  was  again  ordered  to  the  frigate  United  States, 
when  he  again  acted  as  first  lieutenant  under  Commodore  Hull  on 
the  Pacific,  and  did  not  leave  that  ship  till  May,  1827.  From 
this  date  till  1831,  he  was  on  duty  as  lieutenant  in  the  Navy-yard, 
Charlestown.  His  next  service  was  as  commander  of  the  schooner 
Porpoise  in  the  West  Indies.  At  the  termination  of  this  cruise  he 
was  ordered  to  the  Columbus,  where  he  remained  on  duty  until  ap- 
pointed to  the  command  of  the  Macedonian,  as  I  have  already 
stated. 

During  this  long  career  of  unobtrusive  and  faithful  public  ser- 
vice, not  in  Washington,  but  afloat,  he  had  acquired  that  familiari- 
ty with  the  ocean,  that  thorough  and  practical  knowledge  of  his 
profession,  which  is  infinitely  more  desirable  and  valuable  in  a  com- 
mander than  a  vain  and  pompous  pretension  to  science.  More 
than  half  the  expeditions  on  record  have  been  rendered  less  useful 
in  their  results  than  they  otherwise  would  have  been,  by  the  jeal- 
ousy, weakness,  and  folly  of  their  commanders,  in  wishing  to  be 
considered  scientific.  An  able,  prudent,  yet  bold  and  experienced 
seaman,  who  knows  how  to  take  care  of  his  vessels  and  his  men 
under  all  circumstances,  and  to  harmonize  all  under  his  command, 
is  the  fittest  to  conduct  such  an  enterprise  as  the  South  Sea  Sur- 
veying Expedition.  Such  a  man  is  Captain  James  Armstrong, 
who,  after  being  two  years  attached  to  the  expedition,  was  rudely 
superseded  by  a  favourite  without  the  courtesy  of  a  previous  con- 
sultation ! 

In  the  remonstrance  sent  in  by  Lieutenant  Magruder,  who  had 
also  been  a  long  time  attached  as  first  lieutenant  to  the  Macedoni* 


LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN.  463 

an  (with  the  request  that  it  should  remain  on  file  in  the  depart- 
ment), against  the  injustice  of  being  superseded,  it  seems  to  me 
that  there  was  one  portion  which  must  have  been  withering  in  its 
effect,  where  he  told  you  that  he  was  of  the  same  date  as  Lieu- 
tenant Wilkes ;  that  he  had  been  examined  by  the  same  board ; 
and  that  he  had  not  only  passed  higher  than  Lieutenant  Wilkes, 
by  whom  he  was  now  supplanted,  in  mathematics  and  in  seaman- 
ship, and,  of  course,  ranked  above  him,  but  that  he  had  seen  much 
more  sea-service  since  they  had  been  commissioned  as  lieuten- 
ants! 

Sir,  I  have  no  wish  to  lessen  the  public  confidence  in  your  lieu- 
tenant commodore,  by  instituting  comparisons  between  him  and 
other  officers  by  name.  If  I  could  bring  you  to  a  fair  accounta- 
bility without  the  slightest  allusion  to  him,  I  should  be  glad  to  do 
so.  He  was  but  your  agent,  and  I  mean  to  hold  the  principal,  and 
not  the  instrument,  responsible.  The  outrage  committed  upon 
the  naval  service  by  his  appointment  was  keenly  felt  and  wholly  in- 
defensible. All  that  in  justice  can  be  said  in  extenuation  is,  that 
you  had  the  power  and  disposition  to  do  wrong,  and  did  it.  Gov- 
ernor Dickerson,  however  much  delighted  with  what  was  done  be- 
fore, now  began  to  show  some  symptoms  of  alarm.  The  deep-toned, 
indignant  feelings  which  were  known  to  exist  in  the  service,  dis- 
mayed "  the  good,  honest  old  man"  about  his  retiring  popularity ; 
and  he  soon  busied  himself  in  saying  that  he  did  not  do  it — "  thou 
canst  not  say  I  did  it ;"  while,  at  the  same  time,  he  knew  that  he 
had  signed  his  name  to  the  order  by  which  it  was  done !  The 
degradation  of  holding  office  on  such  humiliating  conditions  ought 
to  have  excited  your  sympathy  for  him,  and  made  you  ashamed  to 
throw  responsibilities  upon  him  which  properly  belonged  to  your- 
self; however,  I  care  not  how  it  may  be  adjusted  in  the  running 
account  between  you.  Thus  much,  however,  I  may  say:  that 
should  you  and  the  governor  have  any  difficulty  in  deciding  upon 
the  respective  parts  you  have  borne  in  degrading  the  service  and 
marring  a  noble  enterprise,  you  may  lay  this  flattering  unction  to 
your  hearts,  that  between  you  lies  all  the  glory ;  that  no  man  of 
honour  will  ever  wish  to  share  in  the  monopoly ;  and  that  no  fu- 
ture secretaries,  who  may  not  be  bent  on  embalming  their  memo- 
ries in  the  converse  of  glory,  will  follow  in  your  footsteps  or  imi- 
tate your  example. 


464:  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

Sir,  that  I  may  not  be  charged  with  misrepresenting  the  feelings 
of  the  service,  allow  me  here  to  bring  under  your  notice  an  extract 
from  one  of  a  number  of  articles  which  appeared  in  a  Southern 
paper  under  the  signature  of  "  Harry  Bluff,  of  the  U.  S.  Navy :" 

"  Misrule,  confusion,  and  mismanagement  stalked  forth  with 
giant  strides.  The  once  popular  South  Sea  Surveying  and  Explo- 
ring Expedition  was  now  rendered  odious  to  the  officers.  Through 
the  bad  management  of  the  Navy  Department,  it  became  a  by-word 
and  a  reproach  upon  the  navy ;  and  when  the  country,  impatient 
of  its  protracted  delays,  was  informed  that  the  expedition  was  on 
the  eve  of  sailing,  it  was  suddenly  left  without  a  commander,  and 
the  secretary,  with  one  hundred  captains  and  commanders  subject 
to  his  orders,  reported  that  he  could  not  get  one  to  go. 

"  Respect  for  his  office  was  now  completely  smothered  with  pity, 
mingled  with  a  feeling  less  strong  than  contempt  for  the  man. 
Even  the  young  midshipmen  held  him  in  derision,  and  played  off 
their  wit  upon  him  in  official  letters ;  and  the  officers  talked  open- 
ly of  sending  a  roundrobin  to  ask  for  his  removal.  The  navy 
was  in  an  uproar,  and  even  his  darling  Wilkes  threatened  to  re- 
sign rather  than  obey  his  orders. 

"  But  it  remained  for  the  navy  to  receive  one  more  stab.  It 
came  from  the  hand  that  was  least  suspected,  and  went  to  its  very 
vitals.  Stand  forth,  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  for  thou  art  the  man !  In 
your  youthful  days  you  had  associated  much  with  the  navy.  You 
had  seen  the  brave  Porter  and  his  gallant  comrades  nobly  defend- 
ing their  little  Essex  against  triple  his  force.  You  had  the  whole 
list  of  officers  before  you  ;  and,  with  the  least  tact,  you  might  have 
restored  the  expedition  to  order,  and  made  it,  even  at  that  late  hour, 
acceptable  to  the  navy  and  worthy  of  the  country.  Many  old  and 
gallant  officers  were  anxious  to  command  it.  Conscious  of  the 
claims  to  which  their  long  and  faithful  services  entitled  them,  with 
a  modesty  and  a  sense  of  decorum  which  even  the  president  could 
not  appreciate,  they  waited  in  anxious  suspense,  hoping  the  com- 
mand would  be  tendered  to  them. 

"  But  there  was  a  cunning  little  Jacob,  who  had  campaigned  at 
Washington  a  full  term  of  seven  years.  More  prodigal  than  La- 
ban,  you  gave  him,  for  a  single  term,  both  the  Rachael  and  the 
Leah  of  his  heart.  A  junior  lieutenant,  with  scarcely  enough  ser- 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  465 

vice  at  sea  to  make  him  familiar  with  the  common  routine  of  duty 
on  board  of  a  man-of-war,  and,  with  one  or  two  short  interrup- 
tions, a  sinecurist  on  shore  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  he  was  lifted 
over  the  heads  of  many  laborious  and  meritorious  officers,  and 
placed  by  you  in  the  command  of  the  Exploring  Expedition,  in  vi- 
olation of  law.  The  president  confirmed  the  act. 

"  And,  as  if  that  were  not  indignity  enough,  the  public  were  in- 
formed that  none  of  Wilkes's  superiors  possessed  the  requisite  tal- 
ents. I  here  challenge  you  and  his  friends  to  point  out  a  single 
accomplishment  or  qualification  in  him  for  such  a  service,  which  I 
will  not  show  other  officers  to  possess  in  more  perfection.  Scien- 
tific men  hare  seen  no  proofs  of  his  science,  and  he  is  not  recog- 
nised by  them  as  of  their  number.  We  are  told  he  is  a  surveyor. 
The  grounds  upon  which  his  claims  to  this  qualification  are  set  up, 
consist  in  his  survey,  last  fall,  of  George's  Bank,  and,  many  years 
ago,  of  his  assisting  Gedney  and  Blake,  under  Wordsworth,  to 
survey  Narragansett  Bay.  Of  the  accuracy  of  his  chart  of  George's 
Bank  we  may  not  speak ;  for,  as  yet,  Hassler's  operations,  which 
will  test  it,  have  not  been  extended  so  far.  As  hydographers, 
both  Gedney  and  Blake,  and  many  others  we  might  name,  are 
vastly  his  superiors.  While  he  has  been  campaigning  at  Wash- 
ington, they  have  been  hard  at  work ;  and,  after  many  years  of 
arduous  service,  meritorious  officers  are  insulted,  degraded,  and 
vilified!" 

"  Harry  Bluff"  has  fairly  represented  the  feelings  of  an  over- 
whelming proportion  of  the  officers  of  the  navy ;  and  such  will  be 
the  judgment  of  the  whole  country  as  well  as  of  the  navy.  It  is  a 
melancholy  reflection,  that  a  man  occupying  your  station  should 
have  preferred  the  gratification  of  little  and  vindictive  feelings  to 
the  high,  frank,  and  honourable  discharge  of  a  public  trust ;  but  so 
it  was,  and  you  must  now  lie  in  the  bed  prepared  by  your  own 
hands.  The  wrong  has  been  done  ;  your  acts  cannot  be  recalled ; 
and  in  my  next  I  shall  examine  the  pitiful  subterfuge  by  which  you 
have  attempted  your  justification, 

Very  respectfully,  your  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

New- York,  June  13, 1839. 


466  LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN. 

XV. 

To  the  Honourable  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  Secretary  of  War. 

SIR, 

As  promised  in  the  conclusion  of  my  last  letter,  I  proceed  to 
examine  the  pitiful  subterfuge  which  you  have  attempted  to  play 
off  upon  the  community,  at  once  as  a  defence  and  justification  of 
your  indefensible  conduct.  Upon  the  strict  requirements  of  the 
law,  the  usages  of  the  service,  the  principles  of  common  justice,  the 
paramount  considerations  of  the  public  good  in  the  success  of  the 
expedition,  you  dared  not  rely  for  your  vindication,  and  hence  the 
public  was  to  be  amused  by  a  "  tub  thrown  to  a  whale,"  in  the 
shape  of  a  pompous  proclamation,  which  I  here  subjoin  : 

*:'.^' 

EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. — Naval  General  Orders.— -The  arma- 
ment of  the  exploring  expedition  being  adapted  merely  for  its  ne- 
cessary defence,  while  engaged  in  the  examination  and  survey  of 
the  islands  of  the  Southern  Ocean,  against  any  attempt  to  disturb 
its  operations  by  the  savage  and  warlike  inhabitants  of  those  isl- 
ands ;  and  the  object  which  it  is  designed  to  promote  being  alto- 
gether scientific  and  useful,  intended  equally  for  the  benefit  of  the 
United  States  and  of  all  the  commercial  nations  of  the  world,  it  is 
considered  to  be  so  entirely  divested  of  all  military  character,  that, 
even  in  the  event  of  the  country  being  involved  in  a  war  before  the 
return  of  the  squadron,  its  path  will  be  peaceful,  and  its  pursuits  re- 
spected by  all  belligerents.  The  president  has  therefore  thought 
proper,  in  assigning  officers  to  the  command  of  this  squadron,  to  de- 
part from  the  usual  custom  of  selecting  them  from  the  senior  ranks  of 
the  navy,  and  according  to  their  respective  grades  in  the  service, 
and  has  appointed  Lieutenant  Charles  Wilkes  first  officer  to  com- 
mand the  exploring  squadron,  and  Lieutenant  William  L.  Hudson 
to  command  the  ship  Peacock,  and  to  be  second  officer  of  said 
squadron,  and  to  take  command  thereof  in  the  event  of  the  death 
of  the  first  officer,  or  his  disability,  from  accident  or  sickness,  to 
conduct  the  operations  of  the  expedition. 

Navy  Department,  June  22,  1838, 


LETTERS    OF    A  CITIZEN.  467 

It  is  here  gravely  announced  that  Lieutenant  Hudson,  senior*  offi- 
cer, is  to  command  the  Peacock,  and  that  Lieutenant  Wilkes,  junior 
officer  to  Lieutenant  Hudson,  is  to  command  the  whole  expedition. 
Shade  of  Sancho  Panza  !  has  anything  like  this  been  known  since 
your  administration  of  the  affairs  of  Barrataria  ?  Descendants  of 
Tammamaha  and  Prince  Le  Boo !  be  prepared  to  respect  the  proc- 
lamation of  the  Honourable  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  and  take  care  to  re- 
spect the  rank  and  pacific  intentions  of  his  commodore !  Was  not 
your  cheek  suffused  with  the  blush  of  shame  when  you  caused  this 
"  Naval  General  Order"  to  be  issued  ?  If  the  expedition  had  now 
become  "  altogether  scientific"  and  "  entirely  divested  of  all  military 
character,"  why  did  you  deem  Captain  Gregory's  promotion  to  the 
rank  of  post  captain,  even  though  he  stood  at  the  head  of  the  list 
of  master  commanders,  indispensably  necessary  in  order  to  fit  him 
for  the  command  ?  Is  your  proclamation  an  answer  ?  Sir,  was  it 
not  a  matter  of  public  notoriety,  that  you  had  authorized  one  of  the 
commissioners  to  inquire  of  Captain  Aulick — an  officer  of  acknowl- 
edged abilities,  who  had  acquired,  though  young,  distinction  in  the 
last  war ;  who  had  been  at  sea  twenty  out  of  the  last  thirty  years, 
and  much  of  the  time  among  the  islands  of  the  Pacific ;  who 
stood  high  on  the  list  of  commanders — if  he  would  take  the  place 
of  second  in  command  under  Captain  Smith  ?  What  becomes  of 
your  consistency  with  reference  to  this  officer  ?  Does  your  proc- 
lamation aiford  any  defence  against  the  charges  of  double  dealing 
and  an  abuse  of  official  power  ?  Indulge  not  the  vain  hope  that 
your  puny  document  can  protect  you  from  the  censure  of  all  hon- 
ourable men. 

Permit  me,  sir,  to  adduce  one  more  instance,  equally  notorious 
with  the  last  mentioned,  in  which  your  Jesuitry  was  made  equally 
manifest.  If  not  while  you  were  in  actual  treaty  with  Wilkes,  at 
any  rate  but  a  few  days  before,  did  you  not,  unofficially,  invite 
Lieutenant  Tattnall,  and  did  he  not,  unofficially,  accept  the  invi- 
tation to  take  service  in  the  expedition  ?  Did  you  not,  also,  prom- 
ise to  use  your  best  efforts  to  have  him  promoted  to  the  grade  of 
commander  ?  (He  stood  then  at  the  head  of  the  lieutenant's  list.) 
And  for  what  ?  Why,  forsooth,  to  render  him  eligible  to  the  sec- 
ond place  in  the  expedition  J  But  what  followed  t  Within  one 
week  of  all  this  pretended  deference  to  rank,  and  to  the  claims  of 
*  Lieutenant  Hudson  stands  in  the  Register  abave  Lieutenant  Wilkes 


468  LETTERS    OF    A  CITIZEN. 

long  service  and  unquestionable  ability,  you  committed  the  outrage 
upon  the  navy,  for  the  defence  of  which  your  contemptible  proclama- 
tion above  transcribed  was  put  forth  !  This  was  done  at  a  time,  too, 
when  the  authority  of  the  president  was  invoked  to  silence  older  offi- 
cers claiming  the  command.  Sir,  the  high  probability  that  your  offi- 
cial action  in  this  matter  will  not  be  imitated  hereafter,  induces  me 
to  omit  much  that  occurred  about  this  time.  I  need  not  here  exam- 
ine the  law  which  you  violated,  nor  stop  to  refute  the  silly  defence 
that  in  the  selection  of  a  lieutenant  you  had  changed  the  naval 
character  of  the  expedition,  although  the  vessels,  officers,  and  men 
belonged  to  the  navy,  were  governed  by  the  war  power  and  naval 
regulations,  and  were  amenable  to  and  punishable  under  them 
alone.  As  well  might  it  be  said  that  a  frigate  sent  to  convey  a 
minister  or  despatches  to  a  foreign  court  was  on  a  peaceful  errand, 
and  that,  therefore,  you  might  put  a  lieutenant  in  command ! 

Well  do  you  remember,  sir,  that  the  ground  assumed  by  the  gov- 
ernor and  yourself  {covertly}  for  withdrawing  the  Macedonian 
from  the  exploring  expedition  in  June,  1837,  was  the  necessity  of 
employing  her  in  the  protection  of  our  commerce  in  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  Let  me,  par  courtesie,  admit  your  sincerity  ;  and  then  per- 
mit me  respectfully  to  inquire  how  the  blockade  of  the  Mexican 
ports  by  a  French  fleet  rendered  our  commerce  in  that  region  so  se- 
cure as  to  justify  you  in  laying  up  the  Macedonian  at  Norfolk,  and 
in  abstracting  two  heavy  sloops  of  war  and  a  gun  brig  from  the 
protection  of  that  commerce,  to  send  them  on  a  service  which  you 
declared  not  to  he  naval  ;  and  that,  too,  when  you  had  other  ves- 
sels already  equipped  and  prepared  for  sea,  or  might  have  procu- 
red far  more  appropriate  craft  than  those  sent  out,  in  any  seaport 
of  the  United  States,  for  half  the  money  which  it  cost  to  convert 
two  sloops  of  war  into  ineffectual  surveying  vessels  1  In  this 
view  of  your  patent  economy,  I  say  nothing  of  the  bills  sent  home 
from  Rio,  or  of  the  delay,  for  months,  of  a  noble  enterprise  au- 
thorized by  Congress  more  than  three  years  ago.  Will  you  or 
Governor  Dickerson  say  that  in  a  famous  report,  purporting  to  an- 
swer a  call  of  Congress,  under  date  of  March  19th,  1837,  all  the 
evidence  on  record  in  his  department  was  given  in  reference  to  the 
qualities  of  the  exploring  vessels  Pioneer  and  Consort  1  Nay, 
more  :  Will  you  or  he  dare  deny  that  the  most  important  docu- 
ments then  on  file — documents  which  afforded  proof  of  the  fitness 


LETTERS    OP   A    CITIZEN.  469 

of  the  vessels  for  the  service  for  which  they  were  designed — were 
withheld  1  I  have  studied  my  language,  sir ;  I  know  the  import  of 
every  word  I  have  used  ;  and  should  you  or  the  governor  dare  to 
move  one  step  from  where  I  have  here  placed  you,  I  hold  myself 
bound  to  give  the  public  the  proof  of  what  I  have  asserted  ;  viz., 
that  important  official  documents  were  withheld  when  called  for  by 
Congress,  and  that  trivial,  unimportant  papers  were  sent  in  their 
stead  ! 

I  trust,  sir,  I  have  said  enough  about  the  naval  part  of  your  sil- 
ly and  impudent  proclamation ;  silly 9  because  it  covered  you  with 
ridicule,  from  the  weakness  of  the  defence  set  up ;  impudent,  be- 
cause you  attempted  to  mislead  and  deceive  the  people,  by  pretend- 
ing that  the  expedition  was  about  to  receive  a  purely  scientific 
character ;  a  point  upon  which  I  shall  be  very  apt  to  satisfy  the 
public  before  these  letters  are  closed,  though  I  mean  to  be  as  brief 
as  is  consistent  with  justice  to  you  and  your  coadjutor. 

How  far  you  have  propagated  errors  as  to  the  force  employed 
under  your  present  commander,  will  be  the  subject  of  inquiry  in 
my  next  communication ;  the  scientific  part  will  follow. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

Very  respectfully,  your  fellow 

CITIZEN. 


XVL 

To  the  Honourable  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  Secretary  of  War. 

SIR, 

In  the  slight  allusion  I  have  hitherto  made  to  the  probable  con- 
siderations which  influenced  you  in  the  selection  of  your  lieutenant 
commodore — the  certain  kind  of  service  he  was  deemed  peculiar- 
ly fitted  to  perform,  and  for  which  it  was  supposed  that  in  the 
whole  navy  there  would  be  no  other  competent — I  confined  myself 
within  the  limits  of  what  was  not  only  freely  spoken  of  at  the 
time,  as  matter  of  general  and  well-founded  rumour,  but  openly 
alluded  to  in  Congressional  debate.  However  regular  the  record 
on  file  in  the  department  may  appear ;  however  beaut  j  /m  man- 
ner the  command  was  tendered  and  accepted ;  with  whatever  dern- 


470  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

onstrations  of  modest  self-distrust,  the  usual  concomitant  of  ex- 
alted minds,  it  was  received,  it  will  be  difficult,  nay,  impossible 
for  you  ever  to  do  away  the  impression  that  a  bargain  was  made. 
I  do  not  say  that  this  can  be  proven  ;  because,  from  the  very  na- 
ture of  the  case,  proof  could  only  be  obtained  through  the  crim- 
inating testimony  of  one  of  the  parties  to  the  transaction ;  and  it 
is  not  very  likely  that  either  of  them  will  turn  state's  evidence. 

During  a  discussion  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  April  11, 
1838,  on  the  bill  making  appropriations  for  the  naval  service  for 
that  year,  the  outrage  you  had  committed  upon  the  professional 
feeling  and  pride  of  the  service,  in  the  appointment  you  had  then 
just  made,  was  rather  more  than  incidentally  introduced !  Mr. 
Wise,  of  the  Naval  Committee,  said  "  that  he  had  not  accused 
Lieutenant  Wilkes  of  purchasing  his  command  at  all ;  but  he  had 
been  informed  that  intimations  had  been  given  to  officers  of  a 
higher  grade,  that  it  was  expected,  if  appointed  to  the  command, 
they  would  discharge  certain  individuals ;  and  one  of  these  men, 
like  a  true  officer,  had  replied,  that  if  such  dismissals  were  to  be 
made,  the  department  must  take  the  responsibility  of  making  them. 
Mr.  W.  did  not  believe  that  it  was  the  painter  that  was  to  be  dis- 
charged, but  there  was  an  individual  who  had  done  more  in  the 
first  instance  to  get  up  the  expedition  than  any  other  man  in  the 
country,  and  who  had  expressed  himself  very  freely  in  the  public 
journals  in  regard  to  the  secretary,  and  whom  it  was  the  object  of 
the  department  to  get  clear  of."  Mr.  Wise  said  farther,  "  that  if 
his  information  was  correct,  Lieutenant  Wilkes  had  been  selected, 
not  on  the  ground  of  his  peculiar  scientific  attainments,  nor  on  that 
of  the  special  character  of  the  service,  but  for  a  reason  entirely  dif- 
ferent. He  hoped  his  friend  from  New- York  would  give  the  house 
some  information  on  this  point." 

Mr.  Hoffman  said  "  he  was  utterly  unable  to  do  so,  for  this  was 
the  first  moment  that  such  a  report  had  ever  reached  him." 

Mr.  Wise  said  "  he  had  his  information  from  a  respectable 
source,  and  such  was  the  belief  of  some  gentlemen  in  the  navy." 

I  shall  not  here  indulge,  as  I  well  might,  in  commentary  on  the 
current  of  public  feeling  which  called  forth  such  allusion  to  your 
official  action  on  the  floor  of  Congress,  but  will  give  you  at  once 
the  full  advantage  of  the  defence  offered  by  your  friend  Mr.  Ing- 
ham,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs.  Every  one 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  471 

will  perceive,  from  the  guarded  language  used  by  that  gentleman, 
how  entirely  free  he  must  have  considered  you  from  all  collusion, 
all  imputation  of  bargain-making  with  your  new  commander.  His 
allusion  to  Governor  Dickerson  instead  of  to  you  will  pass  for 
what  it  is  worth.  It  is  simply  an  incident  in  the  miserable  farce  of 
retaining  "  that  good  old  man"  in  office  to  sign  your  papers. 

Mr.  Ingham  understood  the  gentleman  from  Virginia  to  say  that 
there  had  been  a  distinct  understanding  between  the  secretary  of 
the  navy  and  Lieutenant  Wilkes,  that  if  he  received  the  command 
he  was  to  turn  off  a  certain  part  of  the  scientific  corps.  This  may 
have  been  very  proper.  It  was  very  apparent,  whatever  might  or 
might  not  have  passed  on  the  subject,  that  that  corps  must  be 
reduced.  It  had  been  engaged  in  expectation  of  a  large  scale  of 
organization ;  the  scale  was  now  reduced  nearly  one  half,  and  this 
corps  must  be  curtailed  in  something  like  a  corresponding  propor- 
tion. Mr.  I.  had  not  intended  to  say  anything  to  the  disparage- 
ment of  Commodore  Jones ;  he  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with 
that  gentleman,  or  with  his  private  views  in  relation  to  the  matter. 

Mr.  Wise  said  that  Commodore  Jones  had  told  him  but  yester- 
day that  there  would  not  be  a  reduction  of  one  dollar's  expense  in 
the  present  plan. 

Mr.  Ingham  said  it  would  be  very  singular  indeed,  if,  when  the 
expedition  was  to  contain  but  one  half  the  number  of  vessels,  and 
the  whole  outfit  was  cut  down  in  the  same  proportion,  there  would 
be  no  reduction  in  the  expense  !  Very  strange  indeed ! 

Nothing  can  be  farther  from  my  intention  than  a  design  to 
charge  Mr.  Ingham  with  having  made  a  voluntary  misstatement. 
Nevertheless,  he  was  in  error,  and  you  owe  that  gentleman  an 
apology  for  having  misled  him.  He  obtained  his  information  from 
the  department ;  and  from  the  hour  that  information  was  eornmu- 
nicated  on  the  floor  of  Congress  to  the  present,  a  large  portion  of 
the  public,  as  well  as  of  the  members  of  that  Congress,  have  been 
under  the  impression  that  the  squadron  prepared,  under  the  gui- 
dance of  your  lieutenant  consisted  of  about  one  half  the  force  or- 
ganized under  Commodore  Jones ;  and  no  small  portion  of  your 
defence  or  justification  has  rested  on  the  deception  of  this  professed 
curtailment. 


472  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

You  have  yourself  often  given  currency  to  the  same  imposition 
in  various  ways,  and  in  no  instance  have  you  corrected  the  palpa- 
ble misstatement.  Even  Governor  Dickerson,  after  retiring  from 
the  Navy  Department,  "just  four  years  after  he  entered  it,"  en- 
dorsed the  same  glaring  misrepresentation  in  a  celebrated  letter  to 
some  of  his  neighbours,  who  took  it  into  their  heads  to  offer  him  a 
public  dinner.  He  declined  that  honour,  but  could  not  avoid  the 
opportunity  of  expressing  his  delight,  and  of  congratulating  the 
country,  that  the  expedition  had  been  reduced  one  half*  This  was 
his  last  malignant  effort,  put  forth  much 

"  As  a  fly  in  winter 

That  in  a  gleam  of  sunshine  creeping  forth, 
Kicks  with  stiff  legs  a  feeble  stroke  or  two, 
And  falls  upon  his  back." 

There  I  leave  him,  brooding  o'er  the  mischief  he  had  done  in 
wounding  the  feelings  and  the  pride,  and  striking  at  the  honour 
and  discipline*  of  the  service.  There  I  leave  him,  to  draw  cold 
gleams  of  comfort  from  the  reflection  of  having  marred,  so  far  as 
in  him  lay,  a  noble  enterprise,  and  of  having  squandered  the  pen- 
sion fund,  heretofore  held  sacred  for  the  most  sacred  of  all  earthly 
objects — the  relief  of  the  widows  and  orphans  of  those  who  died 
in  the  service  of  their  country. 

And  now,  sir,  for  the  reduction  of  the  naval  force  of  the  expe- 
dition, which  did  so  much  to  take  away  its  naval  character,  and 
which  rendered  it  proper  in  you  to  instal  a  favourite  in  the  com- 
mand who  stood  low  on  the  list  of  lieutenants.  What,  sir,  will  be 
the  astonishment  of  your  countrymen,  and  what  will  they  think  of 
you,  when  I  tell  them,  what  you  know  to  be  true  and  dare  not  deny, 
that  the  naval  force  now  under  the  command  of  your  lieutenant 
commodore  is  larger  than  the  squadron  which  lay  in  the  port  of 
New-York  under  the  command  of  Commodore  Jones  !  Yes,  sir, 
larger  than  that  very  squadron  commanded  by  Commodore  Jones, 
against  which  you  and  Governor  Dickerson  had  warred,  as  the 
whole  country  knows,  so  long  and  so  fiercely,  on  account,  as  you 
pretended,  of  its  magnitude  !  Oh,  consistency,  thou  art  indeed  a 
jewel !  And  what  will  Mr.  Ingham  say  when  he  learns  the  de- 
ceptions practised  upon  him,  and  through  him,  in  fact,  upon  the 
country  ?  Do  you  deny  my  assertions  ?  Do  you,  trembling,  ven- 
ture to  ask  for  the  proof  ?  I  have  it  at  hand,  and  will  give  it  you. 
The  present  squadron  consists  of  • 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  473 

1.  The  sloop-of-war  Vincennes,  Lieutenant  Charles  Wilkes,  Esq., 
commander-in-chief,  with  twenty-two  subordinate  officers.    This 
is  a  twenty-gun  ship ;  which  cannot,  according  to  law,  be  com- 
manded by  an  officer  under  the  grade  of  master  commander. 

2.  Sloop-of-wrar  Peacock,  Lieutenant  William  L.  Hudson  com- 
mander, with  nineteen  subordinate  officers.     This  vessel,  now 
second  in  the  squadron,  had  recently  been  the  flag-ship  of  a 
commodore  in  the  East  Indies. 

3.  Ship  Relief,  Lieutenant  A.  K.  Long  commander,  with  nine  sub- 
ordinate officers. 

4.  Brig-of-war  Porpoise,  Lieutenant  Cadwallader  Ringgold  com- 
mander, with  twelve  subordinate  officers. 

5.  Schooner  Flying  Fish,  Passed  Midshipman  Samuel  R.  Knox 
commander. 

6.  Schooner  Sea  Gull,  Passed  Midshipman  James  W.  Reid  com- 
mander. 

Thus,  sir,  the  country  will  observe  the  peculiarly  ingenious  man- 
ner in  which  you  have  made  the  expedition <:  altogether  scientific" 
in  character,  and  reduced  it  to  "  one  half"  its  original  proportions. 
This  latter  feat  has  been  accomplished  by  withdrawing  the  Mace- 
donian of  36  guns  and  300  men,  and  substituting  therefor  the  Vin- 
cennes, Peacock,  and  Porpoise,  of  56  guns  and  460  men ! ! ! 

I  speak  from  the  6oo/c,  sir  ;  the  Naval  Register  bears  me  out  in 
what  I  say.  It  matters  not  if  these  vessels  went  to  sea  with  less 
than  their  full  complement  of  men ;  I  believe  that  wretched  spe- 
cies of  trickery  and  humbug  was  practised  :  but  it  can  deceive  no 
one,  as  it  is  well  known  that  their  number  can  be  increased  at  al- 
most any  foreign  port.  The  aggregate  tonnage  and  number  of 
guns  of  your  present  squadron,  sir,  are  greater  than  that  of  the 
first ;  the  aggregate  draught  of  water  is  greater ;  and  there  is  an 
addition  of  one  schooner,  which  addition  had  been  pertinaciously 
denied  to  Commodore  Jones  ! 

Standing,  sir,  as  you  now  do,  exposed,  denuded  before  the  pub- 
lic, and  stripped  of  all  defence  on  the  score  of  a  reduced  force,  it 
is  hoped  that  you  will  not  attempt  to  intrench  yourself  behind  re- 
duced expenses.  As  the  two  have  usually  been  coupled,  I  will  say 
a  word  in  reference  to  the  latter.  Will  you  condescend  to  inform 
the  public,  or  cause  them  to  be  informed,  how  the  expenses  of  the 


474  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

present  organization  can  fall  short  of  the  expenses  of  the  former 
organization,  consisting  of  the  Macedonian,  Pioneer,  Consort,  Re- 
lief, and  Active  ?  I,  for  one,  should  like  to  see  you  attempt  a  de- 
tailed comparison  between  the  two.  Will  any  practical  seaman, 
uninfluenced  by  hope  or  fear,  say  that  the  present  plan  is  in  any- 
way comparable  to  the  former  one,  as  regards  efficiency  for  navi- 
gation in  high  latitudes,  or  for  the  protection  of  commerce,  survey- 
ing, or  scientific  research  among  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  1  Will 
you,  sir,  be  graciously  pleased  to  enlighten  the  nation  as  to  what 
has  been  the  cost  of  changing  from  a  good  to  a  bad  plan,  merely  to 
gratify — but  hold  !  I  will  not  allude  to  motives ;  I  leave  them  in 
the  recesses  of  your  own  breast,  having  little  doubt  that,  before  I 
have  done  with  your  acts,  the  public  will  have  little  to  conjecture 
with  regard  to  your  motives.  I  will  in  advance,  however,  do  you 
the  justice  to  admit  that  you  have  stepped  most  admirably  in  the 
footsteps  of  your  predecessor  and  coadjutor,  who  now  reposes  on 
his  laurels  amid  the  cool  shades  and  flowery  walks  of  Suc-a- 
Sunny. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 


XVIL     <*YM 

To  the  Honourable  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  Secretary  of  War 

SIR, 

In  reviewing  your  official  proceedings  in  fitting  out  the  South 
Sea  Expedition,  I  now  find  myself  at  a  point  where  your  insin- 
cerity and  double  dealing  place  you  before  your  country  in  a 
light  which  would,  to  a  sensitive  mind,  be  still  more  humiliating 
than  any  in  which  you  have  yet  been  exhibited.  I  refer  to  the 
injury  and  degradation  which,  notwithstanding  your  hollow  pre- 
tensions of  patronage  and  favour,  you  have  sought  to  inflict  upon  the 
cause  of  science.  I  feel,  sir,  in  its  full  weight,  the  responsibility  at- 
tached to  the  use  of  such  language,  and  that  I  can  only  escape 
by  bringing  the  charge  home  to  you,  by  fixing  upon  you  a  mark, 
indelible  while  you  live,  and  which  may  be  among  the  few  things 
bearing  witness  to  posterity  that  you  have  been.  You  are  ambi- 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  475 

tious ;  so  was  the  Theban  who  fired  the  temple  of  Ephesus,  with 
the  hope  of  making  his  name  immortal.  He  was  successful ;  and 
you  may  perchance  be  rewarded  with  similar  post  mortem  honours 
for  your  wilful,  deliberate,  unprovoked  attack  on  the  science  of 
your  country,  in  your  final  arrangements  for  despatching  the  expe- 
dition. 

An  able  corps  of  savans  had  been  organized  long  before  you  had 
part  or  lot  in  the  affair.  Men  whose  zeal  for  science  had  patiently 
withstood  the  ill-usage  of  your  predecessor,  and  whose  attainments 
and  competence  to  fill  the  several  departments  allotted  to  them 
were  unquestioned  and  unquestionable,  stood  ready  to  set  forth  at 
the  briefest  warning.  Your  proclamation  had  told  the  world  that 
the  expedition  was  "  altogether  scientific ;"  that  in  scientific  objects 
its  "  naval  character"  had  been  merged.  There  can  be  no  mistake 
here ;  because  it  is  on  this  very  ground  that  you  seek  to  justify  the 
outrage  committed  on  the  feelings  of  the  service  by  the  selection  of 
a  favourite,  in  violation  of  law,  and  in  violation,  too,  of  the  pub- 
lished regulations  of  the  Navy  Department,  signed  by  the  commis- 
sioners, and  approved  by  the  Hon.  Mahlon  Dickerson,  secretary 
of  the  navy,  before  you  were  invested  with  a  portion  of  his  au- 
thority ! 

Sir,  after  your  proclamation  had  seen  the  light,  considerable  in- 
terest was  felt,  and  no  little  curiosity  evinced  to  witness  the  final 
movement  on  your  part  towards  rendering  the  scientific  organiza- 
tion of  the  expedition  more  efficient.  Was  it  your  policy  to  be 
somewhat  more  liberal,  not  to  say  just,  to  the  members  of  the  sci- 
entific corps  ?  Was  their  number  to  be  increased  ?  By  what  new 
arrangement  was  the  enterprise  to  be  rendered  more  scientific  in 
character  than  it  had  been,  when  you  deemed  the  rank  of  post 
captain  indispensable  to  the  command  ?  Is  it  possible  that  all 
this  pretension  was  made  on  your  part  for  the  mean  purpose  of 
misleading  the  public  mind ;  of  concealing  from  public  view  the 
littleness~~iQ  use  a  mild  term— of  the  course  resolved  upon  ? 
Truly  you  must  have  held  the  public  judgment  in  supreme  con- 
tempt, to  suppose  it  could  be  blinded  by  such  a  gossamer  subter- 
fuge. If  I  were  your  personal  enemy,  I  could  wish  you  no  severer 
moral  punishment  than  to  live  under  the  judgment  which  the  sci- 
ence and  intelligence  of  the  country  has  passed  upon  you.  Know- 
ing, as  I  well  do,  your  vain  wish  to  be  regarded  as  a  man  of  sci- 


476  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

ence ;  knowing,  too,  your  solicitude  that  certain  of  your  own  acts 
should  not  be  fathered  upon  you,  I  feel  myself  in  charity  bound  to 
tell  you,  that  while  I  am  aware  of  all  you  did,  have  day  and  hour 
for  some  of  your  precious,  high-minded  consultations,  and  know 
even  the  secret  springs  of  your  contemptible  action,  I  will  not, 
under  present  circumstances,  disgust  the  public  by  an  exposure  of 
them.  No,  sir ;  these  matters  I  will  leave  untouched,  conscious  { 
that,  in  doing  so,  I  shall  merit,  and  doubtless  receive,  your  grate- 
ful, though  secret  thanks.  Matters  of  record  and  of  public  notori- 
ety are  all  that  I  have  occasion  to  revert  to.  These  will  afford  infi- 
nitely more  topics  for  remark  than  I  have  time  or  inclination  to 
dwell  upon.  But  this  is  digression. 

Your  lieutenant  commodore  was  now  fairly  installed  in  the  com- 
mand ;  an  honour  which,  with  a  most  unaccountable  prescience,  he 
had  stated,  some  six  months  before,  might  possibly  befall  him  ;  nay, 
that  such  an  event  might  occur  without  even  surprising  him.  Ad- 
mirable prophet !  Officers  of  the  navy  were  now  no  longer  per- 
mitted to  complain  of  the  wrong  which  had  been  done  them.  The 
name  and  authority  of  the  president  were  used  to  silence  all  mur- 
murs. The  paramount  right  of  your  commander  to  overleap  the 
heads  of  post  captains  was  no  longer  to  be  regarded  as  an  open 
question.  Great  pains  were  now  taken  to  hide  your  plans  and  in- 
tentions ;  Congress  was  still  in  session  !  You  feared  the  true  friends 
of  the  expedition  in  that  body  as  well  as  out  of  it.  Do  you  recol- 
lect certain  matters  relating  to  the  rank  of  your  juvenile  dbra- 
mander  which  were  to  be  arranged  after  the  Senate  adjourned? 
I  hope  I  may  live  to  see  the  day  when  the  head  of  a  department, 
or  of  the  nation,  would  be,  if  not  impeached,  at  least  execrated 
from  one  extremity  of  the  union  to  the  other,  for  daring  to  do,  after 
the  adjournment  of  the  Senate,  any  act  to  which  the  sanction  of 
that  assembly  could  not  have  been  obtained. 

But  let  this  pass.  Little  by  little  your  designs  became  apparent. 
It  was  soon  ascertained  that  your  young  sea-officer  was  clothed 
with  more  summary  powers  than  had  been  conferred  upon  Com- 
modore Jones,  or  offered  to  any  post  captain  with  whom  you  had 
trifled  and  feigned  to  treat.  You  know,  sir,  that  I  here  state  an 
undeniable  fact.  Your  protege  was,  moreover,  your  accredited 
organ,  representing  your  feelings  and  doing  your  behests.  He 
seemed  to  be  clothed  with  absolute  authority ;  spoke  freely  of  his 


LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN.  477 

plans  having  been  submitted  to  Mr.  Van  Buren,  and  not  only  ap- 
proved by  him,  but  endorsed  by  you.  Unfortunately,  however, 
you  had  not  sufficiently  impressed  on  your  agent  the  importance  of 
making  his  story  tally  with  your  own.  They  did  not  dovetail ; 
for  while,  on  the  one  hand,  you  told  the  country  in  your  proclama- 
tion the  expedition  was  "  altogether  scientific,"  he  declared  his  in- 
tention to  make  it  entirely  naval  in  point  of  fact ;  but  that,  as  he 
could  not  draught  a  scientific  corps  from  the  navy,  a  portion  of  its 
present  members  would  be  retained,  and  the  remainder  dismissed, 
under  the  pretence  that  they  could  not  be  accommodated  in  the 
reduced  squadron  ! 

Let  it  be  distinctly  understood,  that  while  T  speak  of  the  views 
of  your  lieutenant,  I  only  do  so  to  reach  your  own.  I  do  not  deal 
with  the  instrument  ;  I  have  larger  game  in  chase.  You  are  the 
responsible  man,  and  to  you  I  address  myself.  Your  lieutenant,  in 
assuming  to  speak  of  his  plans  and  his  opinions,  misled  no  one,  be- 
cause no  one  believed  that  he  had  any  other  plans  or  purposes  save 
such  as  you  had  suggested,  or  as  he  supposed  would  please  you, 
though  the  recorded  correspondence  between  you  would,  no  doubt, 
lead  to  a  different  conclusion.  There  are  many  things,  however, 
which  no  revised  record  can  change.  For  instance,  no  prepared 
document  can  controvert  the  palpable  fact  that  you  had  added  to 
the  naval  force  of  the  expedition,  while  the  whole  country  was  led 
to  believe  that  a  reduction  of  one  half  had  taken  place.  Yes,  sir, 
you  made  additions  to  the  naval  force  of  the  expedition  under  pre- 
tence of  taking  away  its  naval  character,  and  you  sanctioned  the 
reduction  of  the  scientific  corps  one  half,  in  order  to  make  the  en- 
terprise "  altogether  scientific !"  This  logic  savours  somewhat  of 
the  Dogberry  school.  You  seem,  moreover,  to  have  been  wholly 
incompetent  to  appreciate  the  objects  of  the  scientific  corps,  and  the 
vastness  of  the  field  in  which  their  labours  were  to  be  performed ; 
or,  if  you  were  not  so  incompetent,  you  have  shamefully  neglected 
your  duty,  and  sinned  against  the  light.  Choose  which  horn  of  the 
dilemma  you  please,  I  will  fasten  you  on  one  of  them,  and,  as  a 
counterbalance,  you  may  hang  your  predecessor  and  your  lieutenant 
commodore  on  the  other.  You  are  entitled  to  some  distinction,  in- 
asmuch as  your  wisdom  and  learning  has  had  no  parallel  since 
the  three  wise  men  of  Gotham  went  to  sea  in  a  bowl. 

Sir,  under  date  January  1,  1838,  Citizen  had  occasion  to  ad- 


478  LETTERS   OP   A    CITIZEN. 

dress  a  letter  to  your  predecessor,  in  which  he  gave  a  plain  state- 
ment of  the  organization  of  the  corps  ere  your  reforming  hand  had 
passed  over  it.     That  organization  was  approved  by  the  late  pres- 
ident  and   the  science  of  the  country.     The  division  of  labours 
among  its  several  members  was  there  set  forth.     How  dared  you 
interfere  with  those  arrangements  after  they  had  been  completed  ? 
What  excuse  have  you  to  offer  for  having  done  so  ?     Will  you 
again  have  the  temerity  to  insult  the  country  by  asserting  that 
there  was  no  room  in  your  increased  instead  of  diminished  squad- 
ron for  the  members  you  rudely  struck  from  the  list,  after  they  had 
prepared,  under  the  plighted  faith  of  the  government,  to  join  the 
expedition,  and  were  ready  to  set  sail  ?     Was  the  calibre  of  your 
mind  only  adapted  to  the  little  work  of  carrying  out  the  puerile 
but  vindictive  views  of  the  Hon.  Mahlon  Dickerson,  and  were 
you  therefore  incapable  of  acting  in  a  noble  and  generous  spirit, 
as  the  friend  of  science  alive  to  the  honour  of  the  expedition  and 
the  true  glory  of  your  country  ?     When  and  where  did  you  learn 
that,  even  with  the  sanction  of  the  executive,  you  could  be  justified 
before  the  science  of  the  country  in  lopping  off  the  important  de- 
partments of  Entomology  and  Cru-staceology,  or  that  they  could 
properly  be  thrown  upon  the  zoologists,  who  were  already  burden- 
ed with  more  than  they  could  perform  ?     Comparative  anatomy 
and  philology,  being  matters  of  no  account  with  you  or  your  lieu- 
tenant commodore,  were  summarily  erased  from  the  list  of  scien- 
tific inquiry,  and  this,  be  it  borne  in  mind,  was  an  expedition  chan- 
ged from  a  naval  to  a  scientific  character,  on  which  ground  alone 
this  erudite  and  philosophic  officer  had  been  thrust  into  the  com- 
mand.    Superb  consistency !     The  text  and  commentary  assim- 
ilate like  oil  and  water  ! 

But  this  is  not  all.  The  department  of  Natural  Philosophy,  or 
Physical  Science,  the  world-embracing  labours  of  which  the  great 
ARAGO  would  have  assumed  with  modest  diffidence,  was  struck 
off  from  the  list,  because  Lieutenant  Wilkes,  your  commander, 
fancied — Heaven  moderate  the  young  gentleman's  vanity  ! — that 
he  was  competent  to  take  the  matter  in  hand,  in  addition  to  the 
other  duties  devolved  upon  him  ! ! !  To  the  vanity  of  this  univer- 
sal genius — this  second  edition  of  the  admirable  Crichton — you 
sacrificed  the  interest,  the  honour,  the  science  of  the  country. 
The  assistant  zoological  draughtsmen  and  landscape  and  por- 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  479 

trait  painters  were  trifles  in  your  estimation  not  worth  a  thought, 
and  though,  like  the  others,  provided  at  the  public  expense,  were 
sent  to  the  right-about. 

What  I  have  here  stated  as  fact,  not  one  word  of  which  can 
be  controverted  or  shaken,  is  sufficient,  one  would  imagine,  to 
place  you  in  an  attitude  not  very  enviable  before  the  science  of  your 
country.  I  think,  furthermore,  that  you  are  fairly  fixed  upon  one 
of  the  horns  of  the  dilemma  tendered  for  your  choice ;  but,  as  I 
mean  to  bind  you  to  it  for  the  remainder  of  your  life,  I  shall  re- 
sume the  subject  in  my  next.  In  the  mean  time,  I  am, 
Very  respectfully,  your  fellow 

CITIZEN. 


XVIH. 

To  the  Honourable  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  Secretary  of  War. 

SIR, 

In  the  concluding  portion  of  my  last  letter  I  alluded  to  the 
rude  hand  you  had  laid  upon  the  scientific  corps,  and  to  the  Goth- 
ic spirit  you  had  evinced  in  reference  to  the  departments  which  you 
had  determined  were  unworthy  of  being  represented  in  that  body. 

I  need  not  inform  you  that  the  savans  of  all  Europe  looked  with 
lively  interest  to  the  results  of  the  expedition,  and  the  announce- 
ment of  its  authorization  to  the  London  Geographical  Society, 
while  in  session,  was  received  by  that  distinguished  body  with  en- 
thusiastic cheers.  The  liberality  of  Congress,  and  the  efficient  or- 
ganization sanctioned  by  President  Jackson,  were  especially  re- 
garded as  highly  honourable  to  our  national  character.  You  had 
often  expressed  great  solicitude  yourself  for  the  success  of  the  en- 
terprise. So  had  Mahlon  Dickerson,  when  it  suited  his  purpose, 
while  he  was  doing  all  that  he  dared,  if  not  all  that  he  could,  to 
break  down  the  undertaking.  What  he  had  not  the  strength  or 
weight  of  character  to  accomplish,  you  have  the  glory  of  having 
in  part  effected.  Are  my  remarks  too  general  ?  Have  patience, 
sir,  and  I  will  gratify  you  with  a  few  details,  which,  perchance, 
may  prove  more  palatable. 

In  the  opinion  of  your  commodore — selected,  we  are  told,  for  his 


480  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

scientific  attainments,  and  whose  enlarged  views  coincided  with 
your  own — the  department  of  Palaeontology  was  ridiculous  from 
its  unmeaning  name.  What  possible  branch  of  science  could  be  in- 
dicated by  such  an  outlandish  word  as  Palaeontology  ?  Even  Sec- 
retary Dickerson  is  said  to  have  committed  several  witticisms  on  the 
term  !  That  the  whole  concern  was  a  humbug,  who  can  doubt  ? 
for  neither  you  nor  your  commander  knew  anything  about  it. 
"  Away  with  this  worthless  department,  which  we  never  heard  of 
before,"  was  your  wise  and  learned  decision. 

And  what,  sir,  is  Palaeontology  1  Have  you  to  be  informed 
that  it  is  that  branch  of  science  which  treats  of  fossil  organic  re- 
mains, both  animal  and  vegetable  ?  "  The  secrets  of  Nature," 
says  the  learned  Buckland,  "  that  are  revealed  to  us  from  the  his- 
tory of  fossil  organic  remains,  form  perhaps  the  most  striking  re- 
sults at  which  we  arrive  from  the  study  of  Geology.  It  must  ap- 
pear almost  incredible  to  those  who  have  not  attended  to  natural 
phenomena,  that  the  microscopic  examination  of  a  mass  of  rude 
and  lifeless  limestone  should  often  disclose  the  curious  fact  that 
large  portions  of  its  substance  have  once  formed  parts  of  living 
bodies.  It  is  surprising  to  consider  that  the  walls  of  our  houses 
are  sometimes  composed  of  little  else  than  comminuted  shells, 
that  were  once  the  domicils  of  other  animals  at  the  bottom  of  an- 
cient seas  and  lakes. 

"  It  is  marvellous  that  mankind  should  have  gone  on  for  so  many 
centuries  in  ignorance  of  the  fact  which  is  now  so  fully  demonstra- 
ted, that  no  small  part  of  the  present  surface  of  the  earth  is  de- 
rived from  the  remains  of  animals  that  constituted  the  population 
of  ancient  seas.  Many  extensive  plains  and  massive  mountains 
form,  as  it  were,  the  great  charnel-house  of  preceding  generations, 
in  which  the-  petrified  exuviaB  of  extinct  races  of  animals  and  vege- 
tables are  piled  into  stupendous  monuments  of  the  operations  of 
life  and  death,  during  almost  immeasurable  periods  of  past  time." 
"  At  the  sight  of  a  spectacle  so  imposing,  so  terrible"  to  use  the 
words  of  Cuvier,  "  as  that  of  the  wreck  of  animal  life,  forming  al- 
most the  entire  soil  on  which  we  tread"  you  turn  away  with  vacant 
indifference,  and  treat  the  branch  of  science  which  has  contributed 
so  much  to  unfold  and  analyze  the  composition  of  the  globe  we  in- 
habit as  unworthy  a  moment's  consideration.  Was  it  modest  to  come 
thus  in  collision  with  such  an  authority  in  science  as  the  great  Cu- 

•»' 


LETTERS    OP   A    CITIZEN.  481 

vier  ?  Perhaps  you  may  not  be  aware  that  much  of  the  eminence 
of  that  distinguished  naturalist  arose  from  his  magnificent  work  on 
the  fossil  bones  of  the  environs  of  Paris,  and  that,  from  his  knowl- 
edge and  application  of  that  branch  of  science,  which  you  despised 
and  the  secretary  of  the  navy  punned  upon,  emanated  his  splendid 
theory  of  the  earth  !  The  fame  of  Deshayes  was  in  like  manner  es^ 
tablished  by  his  great  work  on  the  fossil  shells  of  the  same  region. 
Brogniart's  celebrity  rests  on  his  learned  and  valuable  works  on 
crustaceous  and  vegetable  fossils.  Desmarest  derives  his  honours 
from  the  same  source ;  and  Agassiz  owes  his  standing  as  a  man  of 
science  to  his  great  work  on  fossil  fishes.  Did  you  ever  happen  to 
hear,  or  did  your  commander,  while  in  England,  happen  to  learn, 
that  Buckland  wrote  a  work  on  the  fossil  bones  in  the  caves  of 
England  and  Wales  ?  Are  you  aware  that  his  invaluable  "  Bridge- 
water  Treatise"  consists  wholly  of  descriptions  and  plates  of  fossil 
bones  of  mammalia,  birds,  fishes,  reptiles,  and  fossil  crinordia  and 
vegetables  ?  Allow  me,  in  all  courtesy,  to  recommend  that  you 
procure  this  book  and  read  it,  so  that  if  your  counsel  should  be 
again  requested  in  matters  appertaining  to  the  advancement  of  sci- 
ence in  this  country,  you  may  be  spared  the  ridicule  which  your 
extensive  want  of  scientific  knowledge,  as  displayed  in  relation  to 
the  Exploring  Expedition,  has  drawn  down  upon  you.  Should 
the  Bridge  water  Treatise  fail  to  enlighten  you,  take  up  the  work  of 
Lyell,  and  you  will  discover  that  his  almost  unparalleled  eminence 
as  a  geologist  is  altogether  owing  to  his  knowledge  of  organic  re- 
mains ;  indeed,  I  might  say  the  same  of  all  other  geologists  of  dis- 
tinction. You  would  most  assuredly  make  a  glorious  bargain, 
could  you  barter  the  claims  you  have  on  the  gratitude  of  posterity 
for  the  enduring  meed  of  praise  which,  by  common  consent  of  the 
scientific  of  all  countries,  will  be  awarded  to  Lyndley  and  Hutton  ; 
and  yet  the  foundation  of  their  fame  will  be  the  "  Fossil  Flora  of 
Great  Britain."  Then  there  are  Mantell's  work  on  the  Fossils 
of  Titgall  Forest  and  Geology  of  the  South  Downs,  Miller  on 
Fossil  Crinordia,  Murcheson's  recent  great  work  on  the  Silurian. 
System,  and  the  no  less  distinguished  one  by  Sedgwick  on  the 
Cambrian  System.  But  why  continue  the  list  ?  To  complete  it 
would  be  to  give  the  names  of  nearly  al?  the  great  men  who  have 
written,  during  the  last  half  century,  on  Natural  History. 

Without  considerable  knowledge  of  fossil  remains,  it  is  inapossi- 
X 


482  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

ble  that  any  man  can  be  recognised  as  a  geologist  in  the  present 
advanced  state  of  the  science.  No  description  of  a  rock  could 
convey  a  perfect  idea  of  a  stratum  without  an  enumeration  of  the 
organic  remains  in  its  composition.  "  When  we  discover,"  says 
Buckland, "  a  regular  and  consistent  assemblage  of  organic  remains, 
commencing  with  one  series  of  strata,  and  ending  with  another 
which  contains  a  different  assemblage,  we  have  therein  the  surest 
grounds  whereon  to  establish  those  divisions  which  are  called  geo- 
logical formations. ' ' 

James  D.  Dana  was  one  of  the  members  of  the  corps  who  had 
the  good  fortune  to  escape  your  reforming  hand,  and  was  permit- 
ted to  accompany  the  expedition.  He  is  a  most  excellent  mineral- 
ogist as  well  as  crustaceologist,  well  versed  in  general  science, 
and  of  more  than  usual  high  promise;  but  the  accumulation  of 
burdens  you  have  thrown  upon  him  are  too  much  foi*  the  powers 
of  any  one  man;  and  geology,  the  most  important  and  extensive 
of  all  the  branches  of  science  except  astronomy,  is  actually  without 
a  representative  in  the  scientific  corps  of  the  South  Sea  Expedi- 
tion ! ! !  It  was,  then,  a  Vandal  act — I  hope,»sir,  after  the  explana- 
tion I  have  made,  I  may  be  permitted  to  use  the  term — to  exclude 
the  palaeontologist.  But  you  and  your  commander  thought  dif- 
ferently ;  and  the  president  having  been  consulted,  sanctioned  your 
learned  decision.  It  is  a  little  strange  that  neither  of  you  seem  to 
have  known  that,  in  the  state  of  New-York,  and  in  several  other 
states  whose  geological  surveys  were  in  progress,  it  had  been  found 
absolutely  necessary  to  create  the  department  and  to  appoint  a  pa- 
laeontologist. For  instance,  I  find  among  the  documents  accompa- 
nying a  communication  from  Governor  Seward  to  the  Legislature 
of  this  state,  under  date  February  27,  1839,  a  highly  interesting 
paper  under  the  title  "  Second  Annual  Report  of  T.  A.  Conrad  on 
the  Palceontological  Department  of  the  Survey"  Had  the  state 
beeu  favoured  with  the  ancient  lights  of  your  modern  counsel,  it 
might  have  been  spared  the  expense  of  this  savan. 

In  conclusion,  suppose  we  were  to  put  the  eminent  men  whom  I 
have  mentioned,  the  value  of  their  works,  and  the  justly  high  ap- 
preciation in  which  they  are  held  by  the  scientific  world,  in  one 
scale,  and  then  let  you,  and  your  commander,  and  Governor  Dicker- 
son  get  into  the  other — which  do  you  think  would  kick  the  beam  ? 
If  conceit,  vanity,  and  asinine  qualities  were  heavy  commodities,  you 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  483 

might  hope  to  ride  a  seesaw  with  the  tremendous  odds  against 
you ;  but,  as  they  are  not,  you  will  be  compelled  to  tilt  up,  like 
dust  in  the  balance  against  pure  and  refined  gold.  What  do  you 
think,  sir,  at  present  of  Palaeontology  ? 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 


XIX. 

To  the  Honourable  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  Secretary  of  War. 

SIR, 

If  proof  were  needed  of  the  low  estimation  in  which  you  held 
your  own  conduct,  as  well  as  of  the  contemptuous  opinion  which 
you  feared,  and  rightly,  would  be  entertained  of  it  by  others,  it 
would  be  found  in  your  manifest  anxiety  to  escape  the  responsibil- 
ity of  your  own  acts.  But  escape,  sir,  is  impossible.  Your  at^-_ 
tempt,  as  will  be  seen,  to  screen  yourself  beneath  the  wing  of  your 
commander,  was  as  clumsy  a  ruse  as  that  of  the  hunted  ostrich, 
which  sticks  its  head  into  a  heap  of  sand,  while  its  carcass  remains 
exposed  to  view.  You  will  comprehend  the  force  of  the  compari- 
son, and  the  public,  ere  I  have  done,  shall  understand  it  also. 
You  cannot,  sir,  thus  hide  yourself — not  that  you  are  so  large,  but 
that  the  wing  is  too  small. 

Until  within  a  few  days  of  the  sailing  of  the  expedition,  the 
members  of  the  scientific  corps  were  kept  in  a  state  of  painful  un- 
certainty. True,  they  had  heard,  in  common  with  their  country- 
men, that  the  expedition,  in  your  plastic  hands,  was  to  be  made  "  al- 
together scientific,"  and  "  entirely  divested  of  its  military  charac- 
ter ;>J  but  the  latter  they  had  already  seen  was  a  downright  de- 
ception practised  upon  the  navy  and  the  country,  and  their  previ- 
ous apprehensions  that  all  was  not  fair,  and  frank,  and  honourable 
towards  themselves  were  now  confirmed.  You  had  not  only  failed 
to  observe  the  common  decency  of  consulting  with  them,  but  they 
themselves,  and  the  sciences  to  which  they  had  devoted  years  of 
intense  study,  were  rudely  aspersed  by  your  commander,  who  was 
clothed  with  unlimited  authority,  whose  views  you  and  the  presi- 
dent sanctioned,  and  who  was  now  in  charge  of  this  "  altogether 
scientific  expedition." 


484  LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN. 

A  very  short  time  before  the  day  fixed  for  sailing,  a  few  mem- 
bers of  the  corps  were  cautiously  informed  that  you  would  conde- 
scend to  see  them  in  Washington  on  their  way  to  join  the  squadron 
at  Norfolk.  Among  those  who  felt  themselves  invited  was  John 
W.  Randall,  of  Boston,  one  of  the  zoologists,  to  whom  was  confi- 
ded the  department  of  "  Entomology,  or  insects  of  the  land  and 
sea"  The  objects  of  the  expedition  being  national,  Mr.  Randall 
holding  an  appointment  under  government,  and  his  visit  being  on 
official  business,  I  felt  no  hesitation  in  asking  him,  some  time  after 
the  departure  of  the  expedition,  to  furnish  me  with  a  statement  in 
writing  of  what  occurred  between  you  during  his  stay  in  Washing- 
ton. Everything  connected  with  his  visit  and  your  interview  was 
of  a  public  nature,  and  such  as,  under  all  the  circumstances,  it  is 
not  only  proper,  but  necessary,  that  the  public  should  know.  The 
conversation  which  occurred  on  that  occasion  sheds  a  flood  of  light 
upon  the  skulking,  shameful  manner  in  which  you  performed,  or, 
rather,  neglected  your  duty. 

Mr.  Hale,  the  philologist,  had  also,  about  this  time,  repaired  to 
Washington.  Your  commander  of  the  "  altogether  scientific"  ex- 
pedition had  previously  declared,  in  the  plenitude  of  his  authority 
and  scientific  acumen,  that  philology,  or  the  comparative  study  of 
languages,  was  not  worth  the  room  its  representative  would  occu- 
py. Sir,  I  do  not  blame  him :  he  knew  not  what  he  did,  while  he 
knew  too  much  to  learn.  He  had  probably  never  heard — assuredly 
he  did  not  know — that  from  this  very  science,  the  comparison  of  lan- 
guage, the  most  important  results  had  been  derived ;  and  that  re- 
sults still  more  important  were  to  be  expected  from  it,  all  bearing 
upon  that  most  important  of  all  subjects,  the  natural  history  of 
man.  I  have  said  this  much  as  an  apology  for  your  commander, 
leaving  you  to  make  your  own.  Mr.  Hale,  without  thanks  to  ei- 
ther of  you,  was  finally  permitted  to  go.  I  now  return  to  Mr. 
Randall  and  his  interview  with  you,  and  allow  him  to  speak  for 
himself  in  the  following  literal  abstract  from  his  letter,  dated  at 
Boston,  September  20,  1838. 

"  As  soon  as  Mr.  Poinsett  had  returned  from  Norfolk,  it  was 
agreed  between  Mr.  Hale  and  myself  that  we  should  go  respect- 
ively and  see  him.  Accordingly,  Mr.  Hale  went  first,  it  being 
Saturday.  ?  Fr.  Poinsett  was  very  sorry  to  see  him,  but  told  him  to 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  485 

call  on  Mr.  Paulding  on  Monday,  and  that,  meantime,  he  himself 
should  have  seen  him ;  moreover,  requesting  Mr.  Hale  to  keep  this 
interview  a  secret,  since  he  (Poinsett)  did  not  wish  to  be  consider- 
ed responsible  in  relation  to  those  gentlemen  of  the  corps  whom  it 
was  determined  to  exclude  from  the  expedition.  He  accordingly 
told  nobody  but  myself,  whom  he  could  not  avoid  telling,  and  yet 
keep  up  that  frankness  with  regard  to  his  movements  (ultimately 
connected  with  mine)  which  our  friendly  relationship  demanded. 
He  enjoined  on  me  secrecy  in  my  interview  with  Poinsett,  which 
took  place  on  Monday  instead  of  Saturday,  because  I  could  not 
properly  see  him  sooner  without  exciting  suspicion  in  regard  to 
Hale.  I  took  care,  however,  by  what  I  said,  to  involve  an  appa- 
rent ignorance  of  what  had  happened.  I  called  first  upon  Mr. 
Paulding,  and  asked  him  whether  sailing  orders  had  been  made  out 
for  me.  Mr.  Boyle,  chief  clerk,  was  called ;  they  could  not  be 
found.  I  next  asked  whether  any  orders  were  to  be  made  out.  He 
could  not  tell.  *  How  shall  I  find  out  ?'  said  I.  '  You  had  better 
see  Mr.  Wilkes,'  said  he,  '  for  he  has  done  pretty  much  as  he 
pleased  in  relation  to  the  expedition.'  I  then  called  upon  Poinsett. 
Seeing  he  looked  uneasy,  I  said  to  him, '  I  will  only  take  up  two 
or  three  minutes  of  your  time,  and  have  not  called  to  ask  whether 
I  may  accompany  the  expedition,  but  whether  I  am  required  to  ac- 
company it,  for  I  wish  nothing  that  the  government  does  not  wish.' 

" t  Final  arrangements,  sir,  have  not  been  made.' 

"  '  Nevertheless,  can  you  inform  me  in  regard  to  myself;  for  it  is 
very  necessary  that  I  should  know  soon,  and  govern  myself  ac- 
cordingly.' 

"  '  You  had  better  wait  and  see  Mr.  Wilkes.' 

" '  That  I  cannot  do ;  I  hold  my  commission  from  other  au- 
thority.' 

"  *  Mr.  Paulding  will  make  arrangements  with  regard  to  the 
corps ;  you  had  better  see  him,  my  interest  here  is  but  secondary.' 

" '  I  have  seen  Mr.  Paulding,  who  says  he  knows  nothing  about 
the  matter.  It  will  oblige  me,  sir,  if  you  can  even  approximate 
to  a  decision  concerning  me.  Shall  I  probably  be  called  upon  V 

,"  *  I  think,  sir,  you  will  not.' 

" £  I  was  called  on  here,  as  I  supposed,  by  your  orders,  in  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Couthouy.' 

"  *  Mr.  Couthouy  misunderstood  mef  This  will  tear:  me  to  be 
more  careful  next  time.' 


486  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

"  '  But  it  has  been  very  inconvenient.' 

'"I  am  sorry  for  it.' 

"  *  Our  expenses  have  been  great  ever  since  we  joined  the  expe- 
dition.' 

"  '  I  suppose  so,  and  regret  it ;  but  the  government  will  be  lib- 
eral, I  am  assured.' 

" '  Well,  sir,  I  thank  you  for  your  frankness,  which  enables-  me  to 
decide  so  soon  on  the  course  I  am  to  take.  I  return  to  Boston 
this  afternoon.  Good -morning,  sir.' 

"  He  thereupon  wished  me  a  good-morning,  and  I  did  return 
that  afternoon." 

Sir,  what  a  humiliating  picture  is  here  presented  of  the  official 
action  of  the  head  of  one  of  the  departments  in  the  government 
of  this  great  nation.  If  conscious  that  you  were  faithfully  per-^ 
forming  your  duty,  why  were  you  sorry  to  see  Mr.  Hale  ?  Above 
all,  why  were  you  anxious  to  conceal  the  part  you  were  then-  act- 
ing ?  Call  on  Mr.  Paulding  /  You  had  better  see  Mr.  Wilkes ! 
Find  arrangements  are  not  yet  made  I  Mr.  Paulding  will  organ- 
ize the  corps  !  My  interest  is  only  secondary  here  !  1  don}t  want 
to  take  the  responsibility  of  dismissing  those  members  of  the  corps 
whom  it  is  determined  to  exclude  from  the  expedition  !  !  !  Don't 
tell  of  me!!! 

Sir,  I  give  you  credit  for  one  thing  :  a  sense  of  shame,  combined 
with  a  commendable  desire  to  preserve  your  reputation.  But  the 
end  did  not  justify  the  means.  You  had  no  right — nay,  the  at- 
tempt was  dishonourable — to  throw  the  responsibility  on  Mr.  Paul- 
ding.  You  know  full  well  what  a  hurly-burly  you  and  your  com- 
mander were  in  when  that  gentleman's  appointment  was  first  an- 
nounced. You  know  what  efforts  were  made  to  mature  your 
plans,  so  that  no  alteration  could  be  made  by  Mr.  Paulding,  and 
your  famous  proclamation  was  hurried  out  with  a  view  to  preclude 
the  possibility  of  his  interference.  All  your  miserable,  short- 
sighted alterations  and  plans  were  decided  upon  before  Mr.  Paul- 
ding  took  his  seat  in  the  cabinet.  Neither  part  nor  lot  in  the  mat- 
ter belongs  to  him.  It  was  impossible,  from  his  sense  of  justice, 
high  order  of  intellect,  and  pure  love  of  science,  to  expect  his  par- 
ticipation in  such  meanness  and  such  blunders.  You  know  that 
what  I  say  is  true,  and  dare  not  deny  it. 

And  what,  sir,  did  you  mean  by  "  You  had  better  wait  and  see 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  487 

Mr.  Wilkes  ?"  Who  gave  your  commander  authority  to  render 
himself,  or,  rather,  the  expedition,  ridiculous  in  the  eyes  of  every 
man  of  sense  in  the  country,  by  attempting,  in  the  plenitude  of  his 
vanity,  to  overrule  all  that  had  been  maturely  done  by  our  scien- 
tific societies  and  learned  men  in  the  selection  of  the  members  of 
the  corps  and  its  organization  ?  I  think,  sir,  it  was  rather  a  small 
business  for  the  Hon.  Joel  R.  Poinsett  to  be  thus  hiding  his  head 
tinder  the  wing  of  his  newly-fledged  commander.  But  I^shall  not 
Dermit  you  thus  to  escape.  The  broad  pennant  of  your  protege  is 
wot  broad  enough  to  conceal  from  the  public  your  extraordinary 
conduct ;  extraordinary  because  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  the  mo- 
tive which  prompted  it,  though  I  may  attempt  to  throw  some  light 
upon  that  point  before  I  close  my  communication. 

It  was  surely  uncandid  to  say  that,  up  to  the  period  of  your  in- 
terview with  Mr.  Randall,  final  arrangements  had  not  been  made, 
when  previous  to  that  time  it  had  been  determined,  with  your 
knowledge  and  consent,  if  not  by  your  suggestion,  to  exclude  him 
from  the  expedition.  Who  excluded  him  ?  Who  gravely  decided 
that  his  department  was  unworthy  of  being  represented  ?  Had 
any  such  opinion  emanated  from  any  of  the  learned  societies,  who 
had  been  mocked  by  being  first  consulted,  then  occupied  in  ma- 
king out  reports,  and  then  their  recommendations  slighted  and 
their  plans  rejected  under  the  dictum  of  your  erudite  and  scientific 
commander  ? 

In  the  absence  of  all  testimony  except  such  as  I  may  not  use,  I 
can  easily  imagine  the  grave  consultations  which  led  not  only  to 
the  rejection  of  the  palaeontologist  and  entomologist,  but  to  that  of 
several  other  able  members  of  the  corps,  and  to  the  reorganization 
of  the  remainder  in  accordance  with  the  suggestions  of  ignorance, 
egotism,  malevolence,  and  spleen.  I  will  try  my  hand  at  holding 
the  mirror  up  to  nature,  through  the  medium  of  a  little  dramatic 
sketch. 

Scene.     A  private  parlour. 

Dramatis  persona.     Honourable  Joel  R,  Poinsett,  Mahlon  Dick- 
erson,  and  Commander  Wilkes. 

Poinsett.  Make  fast  the  door  and  stand  without ;  we  want  no 
witness  here.  And  now,  governor,  opposed  as  we  know  you  to  be 
to  this  expedition,  and  determined,  if  you  could  not  defeat,  to  crip- 


488  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

pie  it,  how  did  it  happen  that  you  allowed  so  large  a  scientific 
corps  to  be  appointed  ?  I  find  your  name  appended  to  all  their 
commissions.  You  have  really  given  us  a  world  of  trouble ;  be- 
sides, there  is  some  responsibility  in  this  matter. 

Dickerson.  I'm  sure,  sir,  the  readiness  with  which  I  sign  my 
name  to  papers  prepared  by  you  and  your  worthy  young  friend, 
ought  to  convince  you  of  the  impropriety  of  holding  me  responsi- 
ble for  all  my  official  acts.  The  organization  of  the  corps  was  not, 
in  fact,  my  work.  I  can't  explain  the  matter  fully,  but  I  will  in 
part.  The  old  chief,  you  must  know,  took  a  strange  sort  of  notion 
to  the  expedition.  I  always  blamed  Hamer,  Couvin,  and  other 
members  from  Ohio.  Hamer,  who,  you  know,  was  one  of  our 
most  efficient  supporters  in  the  House,  was  a  warm  friend  of  Rey- 
nolds', and  went  for  the  expedition  through  thick  and  thin.  Now 
the  old  chief  put  a  deal  of  confidence  in  Hamer,  and  used  to  con- 
sult him  more  than  me,  though  under  the  constitution  I  was  one 
of  his  constitutional  advisers.  But,  besides  talking  with  the  old 
chief  himself  about  the  expedition,  he  got  permission  for  Mr.  Rey- 
nolds to  talk  with  him  also.  Whether  the  old  Roman  got  inocu- 
lated in  this  way,  or  took  the  disease  naturally,  however,  I  cannot 
positively  say,  nor  is  it  now  important.  He  was  resolved,  he  said, 
that  the  views  of  Congress  and  the  country  should  be  realized  so 
far  as  it  depended  upon  him ;  indeed,  so  warm  did  he  get,  that  he 
vowed  the  expedition  should  surpass  rather  than  fall  short  of  what 
any  other  nation  had  done.  As  to  the  scientific  board,  he  didrft 
show  me  any  particular  deference,  I  assure  you,  but  declared  that 
it  should  be  the  best  in  point  of  qualifications  that  the  country 
could  produce.  Another  thing  I  think  did  harm.  The  French 
government,  you  know,  sent  us  a  magnificent  work,  "  The  Voyage 
of  the  Astrolabe,"  with  its  octavos,  quartos,  folios  of  science  and 
illustrations.  A  tedious  affair,  except  the  botany,  which  I  found 
pretty  correct.  As  the  work  came  to  my  department,  I  took  it 
over  to  the  general.  He  looked  at  it  about  one  pipeful,  and  then 
said,  "  Well,  governor" — he  used  to  speak  very  familiarly  to  me — 
"  well,  governor,"  said  he,  "  as  we  have  made  King  Phillippe  pay 
up  the  indemnity,  we  must  beat  him  in  exploring.  The  results  of 
this  expedition  must  equal  those  before  me.  We  must  send  a 
work  to  France  in  return  for  this,  no  less  splendid  and  profound." 
Soon  as  I  heard  the  general  talk  this  way,  I  was  sorry  I  had  taken 


LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN.  489 

him  the  books.  The  thing  didn't  work  the  way  I  wanted.  I 
meant  to  show  the  general  what  a  small  naval  force  the  French 
had  in  their  expedition,  so  that  he  might  cut  off  the  Macedonian ; 
but  he  wouldn't  listen  to  me. 

You  have  no  idea  how  difficult  it  was  to  resist  him  in  anything 
he  had  once  set  his  mind  upon.  I  did  all  I  dared.  I  delayed  the 
preparations ;  harassed  Commodore  Jones ;  sowed  discord  among 
the  officers ;  made  them  jealous  of  the  scientific  corps  by  insinua- 
ting that  the  latter  would  cheat  them  out  of  all  the  glory  ;  refused 
to  order  any  one  to  join  the  expedition ;  released  those  who  wish- 
ed to  back  out ;  rewarded  those  who  abused  Jones,  Reynolds,  and 
the  expedition  with  almost  any  service  they  desired  ;  allowed  our 
young  commander  to  retain  in  his  possession  the  instruments  he 
brought  from  Europe,  instead  of  handing  them  over  to  Johnson, 
for  whose  department  they  were  intended ;  corresponded  sub  rosa 
with  officers  under  Jones ;  and  when,  after  finding  out  my  trickery 
and  the  treachery  of  one  of  his  subordinates,  he  arrested  the  latter, 
the  way  I  reinstated  him  was  a  caution  to  commodores.  I  was 
afraid  of  Congress,  however ;  so  I  sent  Jones  his  sailing  instructions 
before  that  body  met.  But  I  knew  he  couldn't  sail,  for  I  had  con- 
trived to  keep  out  of  his  possession  the  very  instruments  by  which 
the  vessels  were  to  be  navigated.  Wilkes,  you  cunning  fellow, 
you  helped  me  there.  Had  I  time,  I  would  tell  you  of  a  thousand 
more  capital  tricks.  As  to  the  corps,  the  general  compelled  me  to 
appoint  them.  I  took  care,  however,  so  to  word  their  commissions 
that  they  could  not  draw  pay.  I  afterward  did  all  in  my  power  to 
disgust  them  and  drive  them  to  resign,  as  I  have  no  doubt  each 
one  of  them  would  testify.  Nevertheless,  as  the  old  chief  was  in 
favour  of  the  expedition,  I  had  to  keep  up  appearances,  and  to 
write  and  speak  fair  to  the  friends  of  the  measure,  while  I  took 
care  to  retard  matters  as  much  as  possible.  . 

I  never  openly  tried  to  set  the  general  against  the  undertaking 
but  once,  and  that  was  the  first  time  the  subject  came  up  before 
the  cabinet  after  the  law  had  passed.  I  told  him  it  was  the  same 
expedition  that  was  so  nearly  ready,  under  Southard's  supervision, 
at  the  close  of  Adams's  administration,  and  which  would  have  ac- 
tually got  off  had  not  Mr..  Woodbury  and  I  cheeked  it  in  the  Sen- 
ate, after  the  vessels  were  ready  and  the  bill  had  passed  the  House. 
I  soaped  the  old  man  by  telling  him  that  this  occurred  just  two 

QQQ, 


490  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

days  before  the  commencement  of  his  blessed  reign.  But  it  wouldn't 
do.  He  seemed  to  be  on  his  warhorse  that  day,  for  he  said  he 
didn't  care  if  Southard  had  been  in  favour  of  it;  indeed,  he  was 
glad  of  it,  for  it  proved  that  he  had  been  in  favour  of  one  good 
thing.  So  you  see  clearly  that  I  had  to  let  the  preparations  go  on 
or  lose  my  place ;  and,  much  as  I  hated  tiie  expedition,  I  loved  my 
place  more.  Indeed,  if  the  old  chief  had  not  been  so  much  indis- 
posed towards  the  close  of  his  term,  1  am  really  of  opinion  that 
the  commissioners  and  I  would  have  had  to  walk  the  plank.  Af- 
ter the  fourth  of  March,  however,  when  the  general  was  fairly  off 
to  the  Hermitage,  I  bounded  up  like  an  India-rubber  ball.  I  knew 
that  Martin  cared  nothing  about  the  expedition,  and  if  he  did,  that 
he  would  not  stir  me  up  as  the  general  had  done. 

Since  that  time  you  know  pretty  well  how  things  have  been 
managed.  You  know  all  about  our  plan  of  sending  five  post  cap- 
tains, including  the  commissioners,  to  Norfolk,  to  prepare  such  a 
report  as  would  enable  me  to  cut  off  the  Macedonian.  You  know, 
too,  how  they  disappointed  us ;  indeed,  we  had  a  right  to  expect  a 
very  different  result.  I  always  attributed  their  backing  out,  in  a 
good  measure,  to  that  confounded  Reynolds,  who  attacked  me  at 
that  very  time  through  the  papers,  and  as  good  as  told  the  com- 
missioners what  they  might  expect  if  they  should  report,  as  we  an- 
ticipated, in  favour  of  reducing  the  squadron.  The  fact  is,  he  told 
a  good  many  hard  and  unpleasant  truths  about  me,  though  I  did 
deny  most  of  them  in  the  four  letters  I  subsequently  wrote  in  my 
own  praise,  over  the  signature  of  UA  Friend  to  the  Navy."  I 
chose  that  nomme  de  guerre,  because  I  thought  it  would  be  sure 
to  prevent  any  suspicion  of  my  being  the  writer.  But  Reynolds 
found  me  out  and  replied  at  me  in  such  a  manner  that  I  could  not 
stand  it ;  so  I  addressed  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  "  The  Times,"  and 
begged  him  not  to  let  any  more  of  Reynolds's  communications  ap- 
pear in  his  paper,  and  he  did  not.  You  may  not  be  aware,  for 
you  were  not  here,  how  I  exaggerated  the  cost,  with  the  hope  of 
influencing  Congress  against  the  appropriations ;  but  there,  again, 
that  infernal  Reynolds,  or,  rather,  his  backers,  the  Ohio  dele- 
gation, always  defeated  me.  Remember  the  promise  you  gave 
me :  he  must  not  go  out  in  the  expedition. 

Poinsett.  Well,  governor,  you  have  really  had  some  awful  stum- 
bling-blocks in  your  way ;  but  there  is  one  thing  I  do  not  under- 


LETTERS   OF   A    CITIZEN.  491 

stand :  I  find  you  have  been  in  correspondence  with  all  our  learn- 
ed societies,  and  that  all  the  members  of  the  corps  have  been  high- 
ly recommended  by  them.  How  happened  that  ?  Reynolds  never 
interfered  in  that  quarter,  did  he  ? 

Dickerson.  I'll  tell  you  how  it  occurred.  Soon  after  the  expe- 
dition had  been  authorized  by  Congress,  some  of  our  most  dis- 
tinguished men,  Professor  Anthon,  Daponceau,  Pickering,  De  Kay, 
and  others,  wrote  to  Reynolds,  explaining  their  views  as  to  the  ex- 
tent and  composition  of  the  corps.  These  letters  Reynolds  used 
to  put  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Butler,  who  used  to  take  more  inter- 
est in  the  scientific  department  of  the  expedition  than  I  did,  though 
he  doesn't  know  a  petal  from  a  calyx,  and  never  studied  botany. 
Well,  Butler  showed  these  letters  to  the  old  chief,  who  took  them 
all  for  gospel,  and  declared  so  it  should  be.  I  thought,  therefore, 
the  best  thing  I  could  do  (for  myself)  was  to  write  to  the  socie- 
ties, and  have  the  credit  of  asking  their  opinions.  Especially,  I 
felt  it  my  duty  (as  we  say  officially)  to  write  to  the  "Philosophi- 
cal Society  of  Philadelphia,"  of  which,  you  know,  I  am  a  member. 
Butler  was  the  only  man  in  the  cabinet  who  ever  opened  his  mouth 
in  favour  of  the  expedition ;  but  he  and  the  old  chief  were  now 
more  than  a  match  for  the  rest  of  us.  I  finally  wrote  a  letter  to 
Martin,  preferring  a  complaint  against  the  attorney-general  for  in- 
terfering with  other  people's  departments.  I  don't  mean  any  re- 
flections on  you,  Mr.  Poinsett,  because  you  see  the  expediency  of 
my  plans,  and  will  stand  by  me.  We  have  things  our  own  way 
at  last,  and  we  will  show  the  societies  we  don't  care  a  fig  for  their 
recommendations.  "  Some  things  can  be  done  as  well  as  others," 
as  Sam  Patch  said  just  before  he  drowned  himself. 

Poinsett'  I  thank  you,  governor,  for  your  compliment,  and  for 
the  confidence  you  repose  in  me.  I  will  carry  out  your  plans, 
because,  in  so  doing,  I  am  carrying* out  my  own.  I  have  more 
to  do  with  this  business  than  the  public  knows  of.  You  know 
I  have  bespoke  the  Macedonian  for  a  friend  of  mine.  That 
matter  is  now  fixed,  though  you  came  very  near  spoiling  all  by 
giving  the  frigate  and  the  whole  squadron,  pretty  much  as  Jones 
left  it,  to  Captain  Kearney.  You  know  the  way  we  arranged  it 
the  night  after  you  gave  that  promise.  Our  promptitude  and  ad- 
dress on  that  occasion  alone  saved  us.  One  day  more,  and  Kear- 
ney would  have  had  the  squadron  in  motion;  but,  between  you  and 


492  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN." 

I  and  the  commissioners,  we  got  the  hampers  on  him  !  We  have 
been  equally  lucky  in  getting  rid  of  Smith  and  Gregory.  I  must 
admit  that  we  did  not  treat  Kennon,  and  Aulick,  and  Tattnall  well ; 
but  the  impression  we  have  spread  abroad,  that  the  old  officers 
disliked  the  service,  will  do  wonders  in  our  justification.  We  must 
keep  that  notion  on  the  wing.  Without  indulging  in  any  unbe- 
coming self-complacency,  I  feel  that  the  reputation  I  have  ac- 
quired by  hanging  out  the  banner,  with  the  concessions  made  by 
common  consent  in  favour  of  my  intelligence,^  love  of  science,  and 
liberality,  will  shield  me  against  any  charges  of  hostility  to  the  en- 
terprise that  may  be  made  against  me.  Indeed,  under  ordinary 
circumstances,  I  do  not  think- 1  should  be  hostile  to  it.  I  have  no 
idea,  however,  of  having  a  good  measure  forced  upon  a  depart- 
ment against  the  wish  of  its  head,  as  this  has  been  forced  upon 
you,  governor.  It  is  a  dangerous  precedent,  and  your  case  to-day 
may  be  mine  to-morrow.  We  have  kicked  the  worst  stumbling- 
block  from  our  path,  however ;  and,  in  placing  our  favourite  in 
command,  we  have  received  the  entire  control  of  the  concern,  and 
can  so  shape  the  future  records  as  to  monopolize  all  the  glory. 
As  we  have  raised  the  cry  of  economy,  and  pretended  to  go  for  a 
reduction  of  the  naval  force,  we  must  cut  up  the  corps  to  corre- 
spond ;  and  as  that  object  called  us  together,  let  us  take  up  the 
list  and  proceed  to  business. 

The  «  Palaeontologist"— ha !  ha !  ha !  Phoebus,  what  a  name  I—I 
think  you  have  already  disposed  of;  the  next  department  marked 
"  for  consideration"  is  Entomology,  or  insects  of  the  land  and  sea. 
Wilkes,  did  you  ever  see  any  insects  at  sea  $ 

Wilkes.  No;  I  never  saw  a  bug -si  sea  in  my  life,  except  some 
cockroaches,  when  I  made  that  short  cruise  in-  the  sloop-of-war 
some  eight  or  ten  years  ago.  As  to  land-bugs,  the  sailors  can  pick 
them  up  and  stick  pins  through  them  just  as  well  as  one  of  the  sci- 
entifickers.  I  think  that  was  the  way  D'Urville  had  it  done ;  and, 
when  he  reached  home,  somebody  worked  up  the  bugs  for  him, 
took  their  likenesses,  and  gave  him  all  the  credit.  And  as  for 
crabs  and  lobsters  (crustacse  I  believe  they  call  them),  although 
I  have  often  seen  crawfish  and  the  like  in  foreign  markets,  and 
along  our  seacoast  while  making  important  surveys  (surveys  much 
more  important  than  that  of  Gedney's  Channel,  about  which  such 
a  fuss  is  made,  though  it  is  a  mere  farce  compared  with  my  survey 


LETTERS   OF   A   CITIZEN.  493 

of  St.  George's  Banks,  which  I  have  just  completed),!  never  heard 
of  their  being  dissected  by  other  instruments  than  knives  and  forks, 
and  then,  when  properly  cut  up  (with  salad),  and  well  mixed 
with  oil,  vinegar,  salt,  pepper,  and  mustard,  they  are,  as  you  know, 
extremely  delicious. 

Dickerson.  Yes,  my  dear  commodore  j  but  the  scientific  bodies 
tell  me  that  these  animals  are  so  important,  in  a  geological  as  well 
as  a  zoological  point  of  view  (thes,e  are  their  very  words),  that 
although,  for  my  own  part,  I  think,  with  the  old  proverb,  that  "  the 
proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the  eating,"  yet  it  is  doubtful  whether  it 
is  expedient  to  strike  off  this  branch  altogether ;  because,  while 
we  can  easily  declare  to  the  country,  on  the  authority  of  our  com- 
mander, that  no  insects  live  in  the  sea,  it  wouldn't  do  to  say  that 
crustacse  don't.  If  we  did,  we  should  have  all  the  fishermen  in 
our  faces  directly.  Now  our  object,  you  know,  is  plausibly  to  un- 
dermine every  subdivision  of  the  corps;  some  on  the  ground  of 
want  of  importance ;  others,  when  that  argument  will  not  hold 
good,  on  the  score  of  there  being  no  field  to  work  on ;  and  thus, 
by  degrees,  to  get  rid  of  the  whole  of  them. 

Wilkes.  That's  my  idea  exactly;  and,  were  the  matter  left  to  me, 
I  could  readily  make  an  efficient  scientific  corps  out  of  the  middies, 
by  putting  them  under  the  tuition  of  the  assistant  surgeon  for  a 
few  days.  As  regards  the  crustacce,  I  would  set  the  middies  to 
work,  occasionally,  of  a  Sunday  afternoon,  for  instance,  to  haul 
them  up  with  dredges,  and  then,  after  putting  by  the  duplicates  to 
be  boiled  for  the  officers'  suppers,  we  would  have  the  uniques  bar- 
relled up  to  be  sent  home.  When  they  arrived,  your  excellency 
(you  would,  I  hope,  have  Paulding's  place  back  again  before  that 
time)  might  look  up  some  naturalist  of  good  talents  and  small  in- 
come to  work  them  up  by  the  time  the  expedition  should  return. 
I  promise  you  I  will  adopt  all  his  views  as  my  own,  include  them 
in  my  work,  and  do  his  judgment  the  credit  of  fathering  the-  whole 
with  my  own  name,  without  inquiry,  which  you  will  see  is  no 
small  compliment,  seeing  that  I  shall  be  blamed  for  all  the  mistakes, 
as  wTell  as  commended  by  the  scientific  world  for  all  the  new  views 
and  valuable  details  the  work  may  contain. 

Dickerson*  That  will  do  precisely ;  and  as  for  armelides,.  and 
arachnides,  and  myriapodes,  and  all  the  other  podes,  and  ides,  and 
ologies  that  they  have  piled  on  Randall  (fact  is,  I  never  heard  be- 


494  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

fore  of  any  of  them,  which,  from  ray  knowledge  of  botany,  I  must 

have  done  had  they  existed),  by  the  E 1,  as  the  general  says,  I 

have  no  hesitation,  Wilkes,  in  declaring  that  they  are  all  coined 
names,  got  up  by  the  corps  to  bamboozle  us.  So  I  will  assert — 
indeed,  I  have  done  so  already — and  raise  all  the  prejudice  I  can 
in  the  country  against  them. 

Wilkes.  So  I  say.  I  begin  now  to  see  that  we  shall  be  able  to 
manage  things  all  our  own  way,  governor.  I  move  that  the  ento- 
mologist be  dismissed. 

Dickerson.  I  second  that  motion.  I  hate  bugs ;  they  eat  up 
flowers,  and  spoil  botanical  specimens.  And  now  I  should  like  to 
propose  that  the  rest  of  the  corps  should  be  got  rid  of  in  the  same 
manner ;  but  I  suppose  that  won't  do ;  we  should  have  too  large  a 
wasp's  nest  about  our  ears.  We  had  best,  therefore,  let  a  part  go, 
if  only  to  diminish  the  opposition  to  us.  As  for  the  remainder,  they 
will  gradually  become  silent  when  they  see  how  little  is  to  be 
gained  by  complaints  to  the  government.  Though  we  have  been 
unable  to  break  down  the  expedition  entirely,  we  shall  at  least 
have  the  satisfaction  of  dismembering  it  and  of  getting  rid  of  Rey- 
nolds. But  what  noise  is  that  7 

Wilkes.  What's  the  matter  1    You  look  frightened,  governor. 

Dickerson.  I  thought  I  heard  the  creaking  of  the  general's  boots 
on  the  stairway.  I  wouldn't  like  to  have  him  know  what  we  are 
now  about.  The  very  idea  makes  me  shake  in  my  shoes ;  though 
he's  at  the  Hermitage,  when  I  come  to  think  of  it. 

Poinsett.  It's  only  the  flapping  of  the  shutters,  governor ;  the 
wind  blows  hard  to-night.  There,  take  something  from  the  side- 
board, and  let's  despatch  this  business  at  once.  What  say  you  to 
Couthouy,  the  "  conchologist,  actinologist,  and  molachologist  V 
Did  you  not  remark,  governor,  in  one  of  your  official  papers,  or 
was  it  in  one  of  your  "  Friend  to  the  Navy"  letters,  in  answer  to 
Citizen,  that  you  wouldn't  give  a  bit  of  dry  dock  for  a  mountain 
of  cockle  shells  and  mollusca  \ 

Dickerson.  Ahem !  never  mind  the  particulars.  Couthouy's  a 
hard  customer.  In  the  very  first  letter  he  wrote  to  me,  he  said  he'd 
go  in  the  expedition  whether  I  gave  him  an  appointment  or  not. 
He'd  find  his  place,  he  said,  before  it  returned.  He's  a  desperate 
fellow.  I  believe  he  wouldn't  mind  shooting  me  if  I  were  to  pre- 
vent his  going.  The  fact  is,  he  would  be  a  formidable  enemy,  and 


i"c 

d'y 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  495 

could  say  a  good  deal  about  ray  manoeuvring*  that  is  better  unsaid* 
For  instance,  I  told  him  to  buy  a  sixty  dollar  gun,  and  he  bought 
one  for  fifty-five  dollars,  so  I  wouldn't  allow  the  bill  because  he 
did  not  follow  orders.  Ha !  ha !  he !  Oh  !  wasn't  that  capital  1 
But  it  wouldn't  tell  well,  you  know  ;  and  this  is  a  mere  sample  of 
what  he  might  disclose. 

Wilkes  (after  a  long  and  dubious  pause).  Well,  let  him  pass, 
then ;  but  Hale — we  can't  let  him  go.  We  have  hired  an  inter- 
preter who  Will  be  of  ten  times  the  service  of  all  the  filly — what 

e  call  'em— -fillyologists  in  Christendom. 

Dicker  son.  You're  right.  That  department  should  have  been 
vetoed  at  first.  I  once  heard  a  New-Zealander,  who  had  come  to 
this  country  in  a  whale-ship,  talk  his  native  dialect,  and  I  don't 
hesitate  to  aver  that  I  never  heard  such  unmeaning  lingo  in  my 
life.  Ain't  our  very  newspapers  written  in  half  a  dozen  different 
languages  already?  I  assure  you  I  wouldn't  willingly  be  the 
cause  of  introducing  any  more ;  but  Duponceau,  Professor  Anthon, 
the  Honourable  John  Pickering,  and  others,  have  pushed  this  Hale 
very  hard  in  their  letters,  some  of  which  have  just  been  received, 
and  were  written,  you  know,  Poinsett,  since  our  young  commander 
said  he  didn't  think  him  worth  the  room  he  would  take  up. 

Poinsett.  I'll  fix  it  so  as  to  let  him  go.  I  would  not  like  to 
come  under  the  lash  of  the  men  who  back  him. 

Wilkes  (half  grumbling).  Well,  I  won't  object,  since  I'm  to 
have  the  honour  of  all  the  writings.  I  can  write  pretty  well,  that's 
a  fact ;  though  I  don't  know  much  about  that  humbug  they  call 
grammar. 

Poinsett.  I  have  already  scratched  out  Randall's  name.  What 
say  you  to  the  comparative  anatomist,  Dr.  R.  Coates  ?  He  is 
highly  recommended,  and  is  said  to  be  extensively  and  most  fa- 
vourably known  to  the  profession. 

Dickerson.  Comparative  nonsense !  We  don't  want  any  such 
supernumerary.  It's  the  business  of  the  purser's  steward  to  cut  up 
the  meat  on  board  a  man-of-war,  according  to  the  revised  code  of 
navy  regulations  which  I  approved :  is  it  not  so,  Wilkes  ?  You 
know. 

Wilkes.  Yes,  governor,  you're  right;  it  is  the  business  of  the 
purser's  steward ;  but  you  omitted  one  circumstance.  The  quar- 
termaster, you  know, stands  by  to  see  justice  done;  and,  when  one 


496  LETTERS    OF    A  CITIZEN. 

lot  of  meat  has  more  bone  than  another,  one  of  the  men  turns  his 
back  and  shuts  his  eyes,  while  the  quartermaster,  pointing  to  the 
bony  heap  or  any  other,  inquires,  "  Who  shall  have  this  ?"  and  so 
the  matter  is  settled.  Now  the  cleaver  is  the  only  instrument  used 
in  these  dissections,  and  the  purser's  steward  can  do  the  business 
just  as  well  as  the  anatomist. 

Dickerson.  I  knew  you'd  say  so,  my  young  friend.  Let  the 
anatomists  dress  wounds  and  give  lectures  in  the  hospitals.  When 
I  studied  the  sciences,  particularly  botany,  I  never  heard  of  such  a 
thing  as  comparative  anatomy. 

Poinsett.  I  have  anticipated  your  decision.  The  name  of  Coates 
is  stricken  from  the  list.  The  next  is  Professor  W.  R.  Johnson, 
"  Natural  Philosophy  or  Physical  Science."  What  shall  be  done 
with  him  and  his  department  ? 

Wil/ces.  If  I  have  any  influence  with  you,  let  him  be  dismissed. 
I  pretend  to  know  something  about  this  "  Natural  Philosophy"  my- 
self. I  can  make  pendulum  observations,  and  that's  the  main 
thing ;  and  I  don't  want  any  one  on  board  who  knows  more  about 
it  than  I  do.  Besides,  I  owe  this  Johnson  a  grudge.  Some  years 
ago  I  made  some  magnetical  experiments  on  "  Smith's  Compass 
Needle."  I  performed  them  on  the  most  scientific  principles,  and 
drew  my  conclusions  from  the  most  profound  deductions.  Taking 
experiments,  deductions,  and  conclusions  together,  there  could  be 
no  earthly  doubt  about  my  results.  I  expended  much  time  and 
labour  on  my  report.  My  claims  as  a  scientific  man  rested  upon 
it.  I  was  proud  of  it,  justly  proud  of  it ;  anybody  would  have  been 
proud  of  it ;  Smith  was  proud  of  it.  And  what  do  you  think  was 
done  with  this  paper  in  Philadelphia  ?  Why,  some  institute  or  so- 
ciety had  the  audacity  to  appoint  Professors  Bache  and  Henry,  and 
this  same  Johnson  a  committee  to  examine  it.  They  did  so,  and 
absolutely  reported  that  my  deductions  were  absurd !  Had  they 
ventured  slightly  to  differ  from  me,  I  could  have  borne  it,  because 
there  may  be  differences  of  opinion  even  as  regards  experiments  in 
the  exact  sciences  j  but  to  say  that  the  very  reverse  of  my  demon- 
strations was  true,  which  was  tantamount  to  declaring  that,  so  far 
from  being  right,  I  was  ridiculously  wrong,  was  unbearable;  If  I 
command  the  expedition,  Johnson  shall  not  go  ! ! ! 

Dickevson*  I  fear  it  will  be  considered  strange,  if  not  contradic- 
tory in  me,  that  I  cannot  entirely  concur  with  our  young  com- 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  497 

mander.  You  must  bear  in  mind  that  I'm  a  member  of  the  Philo- 
sophical Society  of  Philadelphia,  and  once  had  the  honour  of  read- 
ing a  paper  on  the  Cryptogarnus  of  New-Jersey  before  its  learned 
members.  I  don't  believe  in  newfangled  lights  in  botany  since 
that  day,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  experiments  of  Johnson  ou 
our  worthy  friend's  magnetical  data  were  of  the  modern  and  spuri- 
ous kind ;  yet  still  I  don't  see  the  way  clear  in  leaving  out  John- 
son. Since  I  have  been  a  member  of  the  Philosophical  Society  of 
Philadelphia,  I  have  learned  that  he  is  very  highly  thought  of  by 
such  men  as  Professor  Farrar,  Professor  Silliman,  Professor  Mitch- 
ell, and  Professor  Henry.  Besides,  I  am  really  fearful  of  even  my 
little  share  of  the  responsibility  ;  indeed,  my  responsibility  is  nearly 
threadbare. 

Poinsett.  We  need  not  fear  the  responsibility  provided  we  keep 
true  to  each  other.  How  can  any  one  find  out  who  did  it  1  Be- 
sides, I  mean  to  lay  low,  and  bring  Paulding  in  for  a  share ;  and 
you  should  remember,  too,  governor,  we  owe  a  great  deal  to  our 
young  commander,  as  you  call  him,  who  agrees  to  do  anything 
and  everything  we  wish.  He  will  protest  against  Reynolds  going 
in  the  expedition.  Our  plan  is,  that  Wilkes  shall  absolutely  refuse 
to  take  him,  and  then  I  will  pretend  that,  as  harmony  is  all-impor- 
tant, he,  for  the  sake  of  harmony,  must  be  left  out. 

Dickerson.  If  that's  the  case — Johnson,  off  with  him !  But  I 
must  be  permitted  to  tell  the  Philosophical  Society  of  Philadelphia 
I  had  no  hand  in  it. 

Poinsett.  This  looks  well,  and  we  have  now  got  through  with 
all  the  business  that  strikes  me  at  present.  As  to  the  artists,  and 
the  disposition  of  that  portion  of  the  corps  whom  we  permit  to  go, 
why  Wilkes  may  manage  them  as  he  likes.  Let  me  impress  upon 
you,  however,  the  importance  of  keeping  our  own  counsel,  and  of 
throwing  as  much  mystery  as  possible  around  our  doings,  because, 
it  must  be  owned,  we  are  a  little  vulnerable  on  some  points.  We 
have  not  reduced  the  force  as  we  intended ;  on  the  contrary,  we 
have  increased  the  force  and  reduced  the  scientific  corps,  which,  in 
truth,  makes  the  enterprise  less  scientific,  and  more  naval  or  mili- 
tary. We  have  given  Wilkes  more  enlarged  powers,  governor, 
than  you  conceded  to  Jones.  Wilkes  has  the  privilege  of  choos- 
ing his  own  officers  ;  this  was  refused  to  Jones.  We  have  allowed 
Wilkes  and  all  his  officers  increased  pay ;  this  was  refused  to 

RRR 


498  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

Jones.  We  have  allowed  Wilkes  one  additional  schooner;  this 
\vas  denied  to  Jones.  I  might  enumerate  other  special  privileges, 
but  these  are  enough  to  prove  the  necessity  of  caution.  And  now, 
gentlemen,  if  you  think  of  nothing  farther,  we  will  adjourn. 

Dickerson.  Nothing  that  I  can  think  of.  Paulding,  you  know, 
has  arrived,  and  I'm  off  in  a  day  or  two  for  Suc-a-Sunny.  This 
expedition  has  given  me  more  trouble  than  all  the  other  affairs  of 
my  department.  Boyle  could  do  nearly  everything  else.  The 
public,  no  doubt,  will  be  so  glad  to  hear  that  the  expedition  is  off, 
that  they  won't  inquire  very  particularly  as  to  how  we  have  got  it 
up.  Matters  must  be  so  managed,  that,  if  anything  pretty  hand- 
some should  come  of  it,  we  three  shall  have  the  credit ;  and,  if 
unsuccessful,  we  will  call  the  whole  country  to  witness  that  we 
were  opposed  to  it.  Amid  all  my  troubles,  and  wear  and  tear  of 
reputation  in  endeavouring  to  defeat  the  undertaking,  I  have  one 
consolation— besides  my  abiding  confidence  in  posterity — which  is, 
that,  by  holding  back  reports,  refusing  to  travel  in  Florida  for  my 
health,  and  keeping  matters  mussed  up,  I  managed  to  keep  Pauld- 
ing  out  of  office  nearly  six  months  after  he  was  expected  to  super- 
sede me,  and  thus  secured  three  thousand  dollars  I  should  otherwise 
have  lost.  So  much  for  diplomacy. 

And  now  let  me,  before  I  forget  it,  commend  the  commissioners 
to  your  favourable  regard.  They  can  be  relied  on  as  against  the 
expedition,  provided  they  are  exonerated  from  responsibility.  It's 
well  for  them  and  for  us  that  the  old  chief  is  not  here.  I  some- 
times start  involuntarily  in  the  midst  of  my  scheming,  forgetting 
that  he  is  safely  housed  at  the  Hermitage.  I  like  Martin  better ; 
he  don't  stir  me  up  as  the  general  did.  Your  plan  to  leave  out 
Reynolds  is  good — capital.  You  know  the  strong  recommendation 
of  him  sent  by  the  Western  members  of  Congress  to  the  president. 
Pretend  you  never  heard  of  it.  And  now,  suppose  we  absquatu- 
late. Wilkes,  remember  your  promise  to  call  an  island  after  me. 

Exeunt  omnes. 

Sir,  I  have  had  no  intention,  by  this  episode,  of  allowing  you  to 
escape.  You  are  the  man  responsible  to  the  public,  and  must  abide 
the  decision  of  that  tribunal.  I  have  called  the  foregoing  scene 
an  imaginative  sketch,  yet  I  know,  and  you  know,  there  are  many 
individuals  who  will  recognise  more  of  truth  than  fiction  in  its  de- 


LETTERS    OP   A    CITIZEN.  499 

tails.  The  noblest  reward  of  the  noblest  minds  is  self-approval  in 
the  contemplation  of  the  past.  Few,  I  opine,  will  be  envious  of 
the  little  consolation  in  store  for  you  from  such  a  source.  Reflect 
on  the  position  you  occupy,  the  high  expectation  which  your  for- 
mer character  had  inspired,  the  opportunity  and  power  you  pos- 
sessed of  bringing  order  out  of  chaos,  of  securing  the  gratitude  of 
the  navy,  the  thanks  of  the  country,  and  the  homage  of  the  lovers 
of  science,  not  only  at  home,  but  in  every  portion  of  the  civilized 
world ;  and  then  contemplate,  if  you  can,  without  feeling  your 
cheeks  burn  with  shame,  the  attitude  in  which  you  have  placed 
yourself  by  acting  as  a  tender  to  Mahlon  Dickerson.  In  the  re- 
jection of  Mr.  Randall,  if  you  do  not  plead  consummate  ignorance, 
then  are  you  self-convicted  of  gross  neglect  of  official  duty.  Such 
is  the  dilemma,  remember,  upon  one  horn  of  which  you  are  doom- 
ed to  hang  during  the  remainder  of  your  days ;  and,  while  thus 
hanging,  the  label  pinned  upon  you  shall  read,  "  Be  it  known,  at 
home  and  abroad,  that  to  the  Honourable  Joel  R.  Poinsett  exclu- 
sively belongs  the  unenviable  distinction  of  having  laid  the  last 
hostile  hand  upon  a  noble  enterprise,  designed  to  enrich  the  field 
and  enlarge  the  boundaries  of  human  knowledge." 

In  your  estimation,  the  department  of  entomology  was  not  wor- 
thy of  a  representative  on  board  a  great  national  expedition,  de- 
signed by  Congress  to  be  perfect  in  all  its  details,  and  for  which 
the  most  ample  funds  had  been  provided.  Would  that  in  charity 
I  could  believe  you  had  no  just  or  adequate  conception  of  the  vast 
range  of  research  embraced  by  this  rejected  branch.  Sir,  it  is  not 
for  the  purpose  of  inflicting  pain  on  you  that  I  write.  But,  while 
I  could  feel  no  pleasure  in  beholding  you  writhe  and  your  lips  lick 
the  dust  in  contrition,  still  I  owe  a  duty  to  the  cause  of  science, 
which  you  have  rudely  trampled  upon,  and  to  the  feelings  and 
pride  of  the  service,  which  you  have  grossly  injured  and  insulted, 
that  will  not  permit  me  to  suffer  you  to  escape  unwhipped  of 
justice. 

And  how  shall  we  estimate  the  extent  and  value  of  this  discard- 
ed department  of  entomology  ?  Surely  by  the  importance  attach- 
ed to  it  by  the  scientific  of  all  civilized  countries,  and  the  number 
and  characters  of  the  men  who  have  devoted  their  lives  to  its 
study.  By  this  ordeal  must  your  decision  be  tried. 

You  cannot  object  to  the  authority  of  Cuvier,  at  once  the  most 


500  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

classical,  minute,  and  philosophical  of  naturalists ;  whose  name, 
indeed,  is  but  another  term  for  all  that  is  excellent  and  profound 
in  Natural  History.  Look  at  his  great  work,  "Regne  Animal"  in 
four  volumes — 2042  pages.  Look  at  the  divisions  of  his  work : 
the  introduction  embraces  32  pages  ;  the  catalogue  of  authors, 
120  pages,  leaving  1890  for  the  work  proper.  Of  these,  950 
pages  are  devoted  to  ENTOMOLOGY,  or  Jlnnellides,  Crustacce,  and  In- 
sects, which  belonged  to  Mr.  Randall's  department :  Annellides, 
30  pages ;  Crustaca,  158  pages ;  Jlracknides,  63  pages ;  Insects  (or 
bugs,  to  speak  a  la  Dickerson),  674  pages ;  so  that  you  will  per- 
ceive this  rejected  department  equals  in  extent  all  the  others  in  the 
animal  kingdom ;  and,  if  the  more  extended  details  of  the  former 
portion  of  the  work  be  taken  into  consideration,  actually  exceeds 
them ! ! !  Wishing  to  make  a  final  disposition  of  you  while  I  have 
you  in  hand,  I  have  thus  gone  into  statistics,  for  the  purpose  of 
rendering  the  subject  more  tangible,  and  leaving  you  without  a 
shadow  of  defence. 

Do  you  object  to  this  mode  of  judging  by  the  number  of  pages  ? 
I  own  that  in  many  works — and  not  a  few  official  documents — such 
a  method  might  seem  unjust,  but  not  so  in  such  a  well-proportion- 
ed and  erudite  work  as  the  "  Regne  Animal"  of  Cuvier.  The 
combination  of  distinguished  authors  who  prepared  it  for  publica- 
tion did  not  permit  one  portion  of  the  work  to  suffer  on  account  of 
another. 

It  is  true,  sir,  your  dictum  would  have  little  weight  apart  from 
the  appendages  of  office ;  but,  as  it  cannot  be  viewed  in  that  light, 
and  might,  therefore,  be  regarded  as  authority,  and  become  a 
precedent,  I  deem  it  proper  still  farther  to  indicate  to  you  and  to 
the  country  the  accumulated  weight  of  authority  by  which  you  are 
opposed,  leaving  you  to  enjoy  whatever  of  self-complacency  may 
result  from  the  comparison. 

On  the  one  side  we  have  the  Honourable  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  sup- 
ported by  Governor  Dickerson  and  Lieutenant  Wilkes :  formidable 
authority !  If  any  one  of  the  three  has  written  upon  the  subject 
of  Entomology,  his  labours,  I  believe,  have  not  yet  seen  the  light. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  limits  of  my  letter,  already  extended  far- 
ther, probably,  than  you  desired,  will  only  permit  me  to  notice  a 
portion  of  the  works  which  have  been  written  on  Entomology.  A 
mere  catalogue  of  their  names  would  fill  many  pages.  Indeed,  I 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  501 

have  made  a  catalogue  of  nearly  one  thousand  works  on  this  branch 
of  Natural  History,  written  by  several  hundred  authors,  and  are  not 
half  the  number  it  would  be  easy  to  collect  with  a  little  more  re- 
search. 

Aristotle  paid  great  attention  to  the  animals  coming  under  this 
head,  and  made  a  classification  of  them.  Others  of  the  ancients 
after  his  time  were  not  unmindful  of  them.  Since  the  new  dawn 
of  science  we  have  Linnreus,  Thumberg,  Pallas,  Swammerdaraj 
Reaumur  (one  of  the  most  classic  of  naturalists),  Baron  Degier, 
Ray,  Fourcroy,  Fabricius,  Brogniart,  Desmarest,  Kirby  and  Spence, 
M'Leay,  Strauss,  Durckheim,  Andouin,  Geoffroy,  St.  Villaire,  Walek- 
enaer,  De  Serres,  Savigni,  Cuvier — but  it  is  needless  to  mention  the 
names  of  eminent  men,  ancient  or  modern,  who  have  devoted  their 
talents  to  this  subject,  especially  as  it  is  now  ascertained,  on  the  au- 
thority of  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  secretary  of  war,  Mahlon  Dickerson, 
ex-secretary  of  the  navy,  and  member  of  the  Philosophical  Soci- 
ety of  Philadelphia,  and  Lieutenant  Wilkes,  commander  of  the  "  al- 
together scientific  expedition,"  that  these  arduous  labours  in  the 
cause  of  science  were  valueless  !  Sir,  I  do  you  no  wrong ;  such  is 
the  only  interpretation  your  decision  will  bear,  unless  you  acknowl- 
edge a  wilful  neglect  of  duty. 

Again,  sir,  while  treating  thus  lightly  individual  authority,  you 
should  have  recollected  that  there  exists  an  Entomological  So- 
ciety in  Paris,  and  another  in  London,  each  comprising  hundreds 
of  members,  who  publish  their  transactions  annually,  and  have 
their  agents  and  correspondents  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  I  have 
not  yet  heard,  however,  that  they  have  furnished  their  agents  with 
three-foot  rules,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  by  measurement 
the  precise  scientific  value  of  what  they  may  discover ;  on  the  con- 
trary, I  doubt  if  they  place  a  higher  estimation  upon  the  great  lob- 
ster, near  eight  feet  long,  caught  in  the  Seine  a  few  years  back,  than 
upon  the  smallest  insect  that  enjoys  the  light  and  air  of  heaven. 
So  much,  indeed,  is  the  study  of  smaller  animals  necessary,  ere  the 
principles  of  zoology  can  be  generalized,  that  the  French  govern- 
ment has  recently  directed  about  twenty  naturalists  to  complete  a 
new  work  on  natural  science,  in  sixty  volumes,  to  be  exclusive- 
ly devoted  to  the  lower  order  of  animals.  This  work  is  now  near- 
ly ready  for  the  press.  I  will  give  you  a  specimen  of  the  arrange- 
ment: 


502  LETTERS    OF   A   CITIZEN. 

Introduction  to  Entomology,  by  Lar  Cordaire,  2  vols. ;  Caleopte- 
ra>  Beetles,  by  Count  Degean,  several  volumes ;  Hymenoptera,  Bees 
and  Wasps,  Serville,  2  vols  ;  Diptera,  Flies,  by  Macquart,  2  vols. ; 
Lepidoptera,  Butterflies,  by  Brisduval,  4  vols. ;  Archnides,  Spiders, 
by  Baron  Walcheneer ;  Crustacas,  Crabs  and  Lobsters,  by  Edwards, 
several  volumes ;  Mollusca,  by  Blainville,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.  Able 
and  extended  as  this  work  will  be,  it  will  actually,  as  regards  most 
of  the  subjects  embraced,  contain  little  more  than  mere  outlines,  i. 
e.,  physiology,  history,  classification,  generic  description,  leaving 
out  the  species  with  the  exception  of  new  or  typical  ones. 

Now,  either  from  a  total  want  of  knowledge,  or  in  contempt 
of  duty,  you,  sir,  as  minister  of  a  department,  charged  with 
fitting  out  a  great  national  expedition,  in  character  (according  to 
your  own  showing)  "  altogether  scientific,"  struck  from  the  corps 
the  entomologist,  who  had  long  been  appointed,  and  was  prepared, 
at  an  hour's  notice,  to  go  on  shipboard.  You  feared,  it  might  be 
supposed,  that  his  intellect  should  become  mouldy  for  want  of  em- 
ployment in  a  field  of  research  not  considered  too  limited  for  the 
labours  of  a  score  of  the  first  European  savans  for  a  term  of  ten 
years !  What  a  compliment  to  American  genius,  or  else  what  a 
reflection  upon  European  stupidity !  If  the  learned  societies  of  this 
country  and  of  Europe  do  not  award  to  you  some  distinguishing 
token  of  the  estimation  in  which  they  hold  you,  it  will  not  be 
owing,  I  am  sure,  to  any  want  of  desert  on  your  part.  You  have 
richly  merited  a  conspicuous  mark  of  their  sovereign  contempt. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 

' 
XXI. 

To  the  Honourable  Joel  R.  Poinsett,  Secretary  of  War. 

SIR, 

All  that  I  said  in  my  last  letters  in  relation  to  the  palaeontolo- 
gist and  entomologist,  and  the  degrading  ignorance  or  unpardona- 
ble malevolence  which  led  to  their  dismissal  from  the  scientific 
corps  of  the  expedition,  would  apply  with  more  than  equal  force 
(as  I  would  show,  did  time  and  space  permit)  to  the  department 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  503 

of  Comparative  Anatomy,  Dr.  R.  Coates,  and  Natural  Philoso- 
phy, Professor  Johnson.  On  the  return  of  the  expedition  to  the 
United  States,  you  will  probably  find  more  leisure  to  review  these 
matters  than  when  your  war  capacities  were  so  severely  taxed  in 
directing  the  military  campaigns  of  Florida.  Unfortunately  for  the 
Seminoles,  you  will  then  have  ceased  to  control  the  movements  of 
the  "  Southern  army." 

I  propose,  however,  in  closing  this  correspondence,  to  say  a  few 
words  in  relation  to  another  individual  who,  it  was  supposed,  had 
some  claims  to  a  place  in  the  expedition.  Were  I  to  defer  to  your 
wishes  and  feelings,  this  point,  I  am  aware,  would  be  passed  over 
in  silence ;  but  truth  and  justice  demand  plain  dealing  in  this  as 
well  as  the  other  matters  connected  with  the  expedition.  You 
have  not  forgotten  that,  about  two  weeks  before  the  squadron  sail- 
ed, I  addressed  a  letter  to  you  in  reference  to  myself,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  copy  : 

"  New- York,  July  30,  1838. 
"SIR, 

"  It  is  now  about  two  months  since  a  letter  was  sent  to  the  pres- 
ident by  a  portion  of  the  Western  delegation  in  Congress,  in  refer- 
ence to  my  position  in  the  South  Sea  Expedition.  As  neither  my 
friends  nor  myself  have  received  any  answer.  I  would  respectfully 
inquire  what  determination,  if  any,  has  been  made  in  reference  to 
my  appointment.  If  it  be  determined  that  I  shall  hold  no  station, 
either  with  or  without  duties  defined  and  a  salary  attached,  then 
and  in  that  case  I  beg  leave  respectfully  to  inquire  if  I  may  be 
permitted  to  accompany  the  expedition  in  the  capacity  of  a  volun- 
teer, without  compensation,  without  duties  defined,  and  at  my  own 
expense,  in  which  capacity,  as  volunteer,  I  will  ask  no  other  con- 
sideration or  protection  from  the  department  or  the  commander  than 
is  guarantied  by  the  rules  of  the  service  to  a  sailor  before  the  mast. 
An  answer  to  the  above  is  respectfully  requested  at  your  earliest 
convenience,  as  I  should  like  a  few  days  for  preparation. 
.  "  I  am,  vfcry  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

:  "J.N.REYNOLDS. 

"  Honourable  Joel  R.  Poinsett." 

Subjoined  is  your  reply : 


504  LETTERS    OF    A   CITIZEN. 

"  Washington,  August  1,  1838. 
"  SlR, 

"  I  have  had  the  honour  to  receive  your  letter  of  the  30th  July, 
and,  in  reply,  assure  you  that  I  knew  nothing  of  the  application  in 
relation  to  your  situation  in  the  Exploring  Expedition  made  by 
your  friends  in  Congress.  I  received  myself  a  letter  from  a  gen- 
tleman in  Ohio,  asking  that  you  should  be  appointed  commercial 
agent,  to  go  out  with  the  expedition ;  but  I  knew  the  president  had 
decided  that  no  such  officer  should  be  appointed,  nor  could  I,  with 
my  views  of  the  subject,  recommend  such  a  measure  to  his  favour- 
able consideration. 

"  Being  about  to  take  my  departure  from  Washington,  and  ex- 
pecting to  be  absent  some  weeks,  I  addressed  a  letter  to  the  sec- 
retary of  the  navy,  in  which  I  expressed  my  opinion  of  the  compo- 
sition of  the  scientific  corps :  their  number  and  description,  but 
without  designating  the  persons.  I  think  he  ought,  and  presume 
he  will,  be  governed  in  his  choice  by  the  wishes  of  the  commander 
of  the  squadron,  for  it  is  essential  to  the  success  of  the  expedition 
that  the  utmost  harmony  should  exist  between  the  naval  officers 
and  the  members  of  that  corps. 

"  Your  desire  to  accompany  the  expedition  is  natural,  and,  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  your  having,  in  some  measure,  originated 
the  design,  would  give  you  a  strong  claim  to  be  indulged  in  your 
wishes ;  but  all  subordinate  considerations  must  yield  to  the  para- 
mount one  of  conducting  the  expedition  to  a  successful  issue. 

"  Your  letter  has  been  sent  to  the  Navy  Department. 
"  I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  J.  R.  POINSETT. 

«  J.  N.  Reynolds,  Esq.,  New- York." 

How  puny,  evasive — I  had  almost  said  cowardly — is  this  reply. 
You  knew  nothing  of  the  application  made  to  the  president  by  my 
friends  in  Congress,  except  what  you  learned  from  somebody  in 
Ohio  ! !  While  in  courtesy  I  am  bound  to  believe  you,  I  feel  dis- 
posed that  the  public  should  know  how  well  informed  you  make 
yourself  on  public  matters  before  you  come  to  a  decision.  That 
you  had  conferred  with  President  Van  Buren  in  reference  to  me  is 
admitted  in  your  letter,  where  you  say,  "  but  I  knew  that  the  pres- 
ident had  decided  that  no  such  officer  (as  commercial  agent)  should 


LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN.  505 

be  appointed,  nor  could  /,  with  my  views  of  the  subject,  recommend 
such  a  measure  to  his  favourable  consideration" 

Sir,  I  will  not  undertake  the  delicate  task  of  inquiring  what 
honourable  and  intelligent  men  will  think  or  say  of  you,  when  in- 
formed that  at  the  very  time  when  you  and  President  Van  Buren 
were  discussing  this  matter,  the  following,  among  other  papers, 
were  in  his  possession,  if  not  actually  lying  on  the  table  before  you. 
The  ingrained  opposition  of  ex-Secretary  Dickerson  to  the  ex- 
pedition had  shown  itself  towards  me  from  no  other  cause  than  the 
humble  and  independent  efforts  I  had  made  in  favour  of  the  enter- 
prise. It  may  have  been,  in  some  measure,  owing  to  this  wayward- 
ness of  the  ex-secretary  that  these  memorials  and  letters,  without 
any  agency  of  mine,  were  drawn  up  and  sent  to  the  president. 
They  were  signed  by  men  of  both  parties,  in  a  generous  spirit  of 
justice,  for  which  I  have  ever  felt  and  now  feel  a  deep  sense  of 
gratitude. 

To  his  Excellency  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

"  The  undersigned,  members  of  Congress  from  the  State  of  Ohio, 
avail  themselves  of  this  occasion  to  express  their  gratification  upon 
learning  that  the  Exploring  Expedition,  authorized  by  a  recent  act 
of  Congress,  is  about  to  be  fitted  out  in  a  manner  worthy  of  our 
great  republic. 

"  They  feel  it  to  be  a  duty  which  they  owe,  as  well  to  their  con- 
stituents the  people  of  Ohio  as  to  their  common  country,  to  re- 
mind the  administration  of  the  claims  of  J.  N.  Reynolds,  Esq.,  to 
a  prominent  place  in  the  proposed  expedition.  His  long  and  ar- 
dent services  in  calling  public  attention  to  this  question,  and  urging 
its  adoption  by  Congress ;  his  zeal  and  untiring  industry  in  collect- 
ing information  in  reference  to  it ;  his  intimate  acquaintance  with 
all  the  interests  of  the  commercial  community  (between  whom  and 
himself  there  exists  a  long  and  intimate  intercourse),  whose  inter- 
ests are  afloat  in  those  seas ;  the  kind  relations  subsisting  between 
him  and  most  of  the  scientific  men  and  societies  of  our  large  cities, 
as  well  as  his  personal  acquaintance  with  the  South  Seas,  and  his 
unusual  mass  of  information  in  regard  to  their  localities,  eminently 
qualify  him  to  be  placed  at  the  head  of  the  civil  corps  which  is  to 
accompany  the  squadron. 

"  The  services  and  qualifications  of  Mr.  Reynolds  have  been  ac- 


506  LETTERS    OF    A   CITIZEN. 

knowledged  by  every  committee  who  have  reported  upon  the  sub- 
ject, and  are  appreciated  by  Congress  and  the  whole  country. 

"  The  undersigned  believe  that  they  express  as  well  their  own 
sentiments  and  those  of  their  constituents,  as  of  the  friends  of  the 
expedition  generally,  in  asking  that  Mr.  Reynolds  be  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  civil  and  scientific  corps,  having  a  general  superin- 
tendence over,  and  that  he  be  authorized  to  write  the  history  of 
the  expedition,  having  such  rank,  powers,  and  compensation,  as 
the  administration  may  think  proper  to  bestow. 

"  Respectfully,  your  obedient  servants, 

"  Benjamin  Jones,  William  K.  Bond,  Thomas  Corwin,  R.  Storer, 
Josh.  H.  Crane,  T.  L.  Hamer,  S.  Mason,  Samuel  F.  Vinton, 
Elias  Ho  well,  John  Chaney,  William  Patterson,  David  Spangler, 
Elisha  Whittlesey,  I.  Sloane,  William  Hermon,  J.  M'Lene,  John 
Thomson,  Taylor  Webster,  Daniel  Kilgore. 

"  July  2d,  1836." 

To  his  Excellency  Andrew  Jackson. 

"Sra, 

"  In  the  Exploring  Expedition  which  has  been  ordered  out  under 
the  direction  of  the  general  government,  we  would  respectfully 
recommend  J.  N.  Reynolds,  Esq.,  as  the  chief  of  the  civil  appoint- 
ments. 

"  The  unremitting  zeal  of  this  gentleman  in  the  cause  of  his  coun- 
try and  of  science,  his  former  experience  as  a  navigator,  his  scien- 
tific acquirements  and  capacity,  would  seem  to  us  to  point  him  out 
as  the  person  most  deserving  the  appointment. 

u  J.  Fry,  Jun.,  Jos.  Henderson, 

J.  B.  Anthony,  J.  Miller, 

Edward  B.  Hull,  Henry  A.  Muhlenburg, 

J.  R.  Ingersoll,  H.  L.  Pinckney, 

A.  Beaumont,  John  Reynolds, 

George  Chambers,  R.  Johnson, 

E.  Darlington,  A.  Huntsman, 

David  Potts,  Jun.,  Francis  Thomas, 

J.  B.  Sutherland,  Dutee  J.  Pearce, 

Isaac  M'Kim,  William  Sprague, 

John  M'Keon,  A.  Vanderpool, 

G.  W.  Owens,  William  L.  May, 


LETTERS    OF    A   CITIZEN.  507 

Ely  Moore,  Z.  Carey, 

Samuel  Barton,  George  L.  Kinnard, 

R.  H.  Gillet,  A.  Lane, 

J.  Y.  Mason,  John  Cramer, 

James  Harper,  C.  C.  Cambreleng, 

John  Reed,  J.  Toucry, 

Benjamin  C.  Howard,  R.  Boon/' 

A.  Ward, 

*/ 

To  the  President  of  the  United  States 

House  of  Representatives,  2d  July,  1836. 
«  SIR, 

'•  I  have  learned  with  pleasure  that  the  Expedition  to  the  South 
Seas  will  be  despatched  in  due  time,  and  that  you  have  directed 
it  to  be  fitted  out  as  becomes  the  interest  and  character  of  the 
country  over  which  you  preside.  Yes,  I  rejoice  that  you  have 
done  so,  for  I  sincerely  believe  that  no  act  of  Congress  for  years 
has  been  so  honourable  to  our  national  character,  none  that  will 
reflect  more  credit  on  your  administration ;  as  the  undertaking  will 
attract  the  eyes  of  the  whole  civilized  world,  and  its  results  be- 
come matters  of  interest  and  of  record  in  every  part  of  Christen- 
dom. 

"  To  be  appointed  at  once,  with  a  liberal  allowance,  to  the  first 
place  in  the  civil  department  of  this  expedition,  I  beg  leave  strong- 
ly to  recommend  my  friend  J.  N.  Reynolds,  Esq. 

"  In  reference  to  this  gentleman  I  must  be  permitted  to  speak 
with  freedom,  for  I  have  known  him  long  and  intimately.  His 
labours  in  this  cause,  so  perseveringly  continued,  are  well  known 
to  the  whole  country ;  in  an  especial  manner  are  they  known  and 
appreciated  by  the  whole  of  that  portion  of  our  fellow-citizens  in- 
terested in  the  commerce  of  the  Pacific,  and  who  have  expressed 
so  much  interest  in  having  this  expedition  fitted  out. 

"I  was  in  Providence  in  October,  1834,  when  Mr.  Reynolds 
made  an  address  before  that  body,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  an 
expression  of  the  Legislature  of  my  state  in  its  favour ;  which 
was  readily  given,  as  the  people  of  Rhode  Island  take  a  lively 
interest  in  the  undertaking. 

"  From  that  period  to  the  present  session  and  final  action  of 
Congress  on  this  subject,  I  have  held  with  Mr.  Reynolds  a  con- 


503  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

stant  correspondence,  and  Mr.  R.  has  at  all  times  consulted  with 
me  as  to  the  steps  necessary  to  be  taken  to  effect  the  object  for 
which  he  has  laboured  so  long. 

"  At  the  last  session  I  made  a  report  in  favour  of  the  expedition 
from  the  committee  on  commerce,  which  was  not  acted  on  by  the 
House  for  want  of  time. 

"  At  the  present  session  Mr.  Reynolds  again  conferred  with  me, 
procured  a  recommendation  from  the  Legislature  of  New-Jersey, 
and,  when  he  arrived  in  this  city,  I  agreed  with  him  that  it  was  the 
best  plan  to  commence  in  the  Senate,  which  was  accordingly  done. 
The  result,  since  that  time,  is  known  to  you.  The  measure  passed 
by  an  overwhelming  vote  of  both  houses,  and  has  been  much  ap- 
proved in  all  sections  of  the  country.  These  are  some  of  the  cir- 
cumstances which  enable  me  to  speak  so  strongly  in  favour  of  Mr. 
Reynolds,  whose  labours  and  sacrifices  in  this  cause  have  made 
him  well  known  to  the  members  of  this  House.  I  do  not  hesitate 
to  say  that  to  his  efforts,  more  than  any  man  living,  is  the  country 
indebted  for  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  measure  before 
Congress. 

"  These  facts  made  known  to  you,  it  will,  I  am  sure,  no  longer 
be  a  question  as  to  the  part  which  shall  be  assigned  to.  him*  The 
organization  of  the  scientific  corps  could  not  be  committed  to 
better  hands ;  and  especially  do  I  wish  that  to  him  may  be  assigned 
the  duty  of  writing  the  official  account  of  the  cruise. 

"  With  great  consideration  and  respect,. 
"  I  am  your  friend, 

"  DUTEE  JL  PEARCE." 

To  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

"  House  of  Representatives^  3d  July,  1836. 

"Sm, 

"  I  beg  leave  respectfully  to  recommend  J.  N.  Reynolds,  Esq., 
for  the  chief  of  the  civil  appointments  connected  with  the  Ex- 
ploring Expedition  to  be  sent  out  to  the  South  Seas.  In  this  I  am 
governed  by  a  desire  to  see  merit  adequately  rewarded  in  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  gentleman  whose  past  services  and  scientific  nau- 
tical researches  appear  to  point  him  out  as  one  who  has  earned 
the  place  and  is  eminently  qualified  to  fill  it» 

"  The  friends  of  Mr.  Reynolds,  particularlv  in  the  western  coun- 


LETTERS    OF    A   CITIZEN.  509 

try  where  he  was  raised,  have  long  admired  the  ability  and  utility 
which  have  attended  his  devotion  j  and,  I  may  add,  they  would  be 
much  gratified  if  this  meritorious  son  of  the  West  could  be  placed 
in  a  situation  where  he  might  earn  still  higher  distinction  for  him- 
self, and,  at  the  same  time,  confer  greater  advantages  upon  his 
country. 

"  With  sentiments  of  the  highest  esteem, 

"  Your  friend  and  most  obedient  servant, 

"  GEORGE  L.  KINNARD." 

To  the  President. 

"  Senate  Chamber,  Washington,  3d  July,  1836. 
«SlR, 

"I  would  inform  the  president  that  many  of  my  constituents 
feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  Exploring  Expedition  authorized  during 
the  present  session,  and  which  I  understood  the  executive  has  de- 
cided to  fit  out  the  present  season  j  and  that,  having  a  high  opin- 
ion of  the  character  and  qualifications  of  J..  N.  Reynolds,  Esq., 
and  of  his  capabilities  to  be  useful  in  said  expedition,  I  respectfully 
recommend  him  to  the  president  for  the  highest  civil  appointment 
connected  with  the  expedition ;  and  will  add,  that  his  appointment 
will  afford  me  personally  much  gratification. 
"  I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

"  Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  JOHN  M.  NILES." 

«  Washington,  5th  July,  1836. 

"  DEAR  SIR, 

"  I  enclose  you  several  papers  in  relation  to  the  appointment  of 
J.  N.  Reynolds,  Esq.,  as  chief  of  the  civil  and  scientific  corps 
which  goes  out  with  the  exploring  squadron  to  the  South  Seas. 

"  No.  1  is  the  unanimous  recommendation  of  the  representatives 
from  Ohio  (without  distinction  of  party)  that  he  be  thus  appointed. 

"  No.  2  is  the  recommendation  of  some  forty  or  fifty  members 
of  Congress  from  other  states,  asking  for  him  the  same  station. 
This  paper  was  got  up  without  the  knowledge  of  Mr.  Reynolds  or 
any  of  the  Ohio  delegation,  and  I  have  no  doubt  a  hundred  addi- 
tional names  could  have  been  obtained,  if  any  one  had  taken  the 
trouble  to  circulate  it  through  the  House.  It  was  not  deemed  ne- 
cessary, and  was  not  therefore  done. 


510  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

"  It  contains  the  names  of  a  majority  of  representatives  from 
Indiana,  of  Illinois,  and  Rhode  Island;  of  a  great  portion  of  Penn- 
sylvania ;  and  of  gentlemen  of  distinction  from  a  majority  of  the 
other  states  of  the  Union. 

"  No.  3  consists  of  letters  from  gentlemen  of  respectability  and 
science,  from  various  quarters  of  the  country,  to  the  same  effect. 
They  all  speak  the  same  language  and  breathe  the  same  spirit. 

"  These  documents,  taken  together,  leave  no  doubt  of  the  state 
of  public  opinion  upon  this  question.  All  who  have  reflected 
much  upon  the  subject  feel  the  necessity  of  an  efficient  organiza- 
tion, with  a  responsible  chief,  to  produce  unity  and  harmony  of  ac- 
tion. All  who  are  aware  of  the  large  space  which  Mr.  Reynolds 
fills  in  the  public  eye,  in  connexion  with  the  great  enterprise,  at 
once  point  to  him  as  the  most  suitable  person  to  fill  this  station ; 
that  he  ought  to  obtain  it  (in  the  character  of  commercial  agent,  or 
such  other  as  may  be  thought  advisable),  and  be  allowed  to  write 
the  history  of  the  expedition,  I  have  never  doubted  for  a  moment. 

"  Few  persons  seem  to  be  aware  of  the  immense  importance  of 
this  expedition  to  our  national  character.  It  will  rivet  the  atten- 
tion of  every  intelligent  man  in  Christendom  for  years  to  come, 
and  it  will  be  looked  upon  hereafter  as  an  epoch  in  our  history. 
It  will  surprise  the  elder  nations  of  Europe  to  see  that  a  new  peo- 
ple like  us  have  undertaken  this  voyage.  But  how  much  will 
their  wonder  be  increased  to  perceive  that  we  have  organized  it 
upon  a  plan  which,  for  enlargement  of  conception,  liberality  of 
sentiment,  and  efficiency  of  action,  renders  it  decidedly  superior  to 
anything  of  the  kind  which  they  have  attempted. 

"  That  this  great  undertaking  may  redound  to  the  honour  of 
your  administration,  and  to  the  glory,  happiness,  and  prosperity  of 
our  beloved  country,  is  the  ardent  prayer  of 

"  Your  excellency's  obliged  friend 

"  And  obedient  servant, 

»  T.  L.  HAMER. 

"To  his  Excellency  Andrew  Jackson." 

Sir,  1  here  repeat  what  I  have  said  in  another  place,  viz.,  that 
you  shall  not  shift  the  responsibility  from  your  own  shoulders  to 
those  of  Mr.  Paulding,  much  less  shall  you  screen  yourself  behind 
your  commander,  whose  excessive  vanity  is  only  equalled  by  the 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  511 

shallowness  of  his  attainments  in  science,  and  notorious  want  of 
professional  experience  and  ability,  and  whose  opposition  to  my 
being  a  member  of  the  expedition  was  only  in  part  payment  of 
the  favours  showered  upon  him  by  ex-Secretary  Dickerson  and 
President  Van  Buren,  to  the  neglect  of  older,  abler  officers.  Your 
pretended  reference  of  my  letter  of  July  30th  to  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment, with  your  presumption  that  the  secretary  would,  and  your 
opinion  that  he  ought  to  be  governed  by  the  wishes  of  Lieutenant 
Wilkes,  will  pass  for  just  what  it  is  worth.  In  no  one  will  it  ex- 
cite more  surprise  than  in  Mr.  Paulding  himself,  who  wrote  me,  in 
reply  to  my  letter  referred  to  him  by  you,  under  date  August  6th, 
as  follows : 

"  You  are  aware  that  the  expedition  was  already  reorganized  on 
its  present  plan  previous  to  my  coming  here,  and  that  it  was  deter- 
mined to  make  no  alterations." 

That  the  public  may  be  still  better  qualified  to  judge  how  likely 
it  is  that  you  knew  nothing  of  the  remonstrances  made  to  the  pres- 
ident by  my  friends  in  Congress,  I  will  here  present  for  their  peru- 
sal a  paper  in  addition  to  those  already  given. 

To  his  Excellency  Martin  Van  Buren,  President  of  the  United  States. 

"  The  undersigned,  members  of  Congress  from  the  West,  beg 
leave  once  more,  very  respectfully,  though  earnestly,  to  call  the 
attention  of  the  administration  to  the  claims  of  J.  N.  Reynolds, 
Esq.,  to  a  prominent  place  in  the  Exploring  Expedition.  This 
measure  was  early  and  warmly  supported  by  the  West.  It  was 
originated  and  first  called  to  the  attention  of  Congress  by  one  of 
her  sons.  She  still  continues  to  feel  an  interest,  and  still  indulges 
the  hope  that  it  may  be  so  equipped  as  not  to  disappoint  the  just 
expectations  of  the  country:  she  still  hopes  to  see  it  depart  in 
skilful  and  experienced  hands,  unshorn  of  its  naval  or  scientific 
strength.  Congress  has  made  repeated  appropriations,  which  leave 
no  doubt  of  the  hold  of  the  expedition  upon  the  science,  the  intel- 
ligence, and  pride  of  the  nation. 

"  The  whole  Ohio  delegation,  as  well  as  many  other  members 
of  the  House,  immediately  after  the  passage  of  the  law  authorizing 
the  measure,  addressed  communications  to  the  late  executive. 
After  congratulating  him  on  account  of  the  interest  he  took  in 
directing  the  expedition  to  be  fitted  out  in  a  manner  worthy  '  our 


512  LETTERS    OF    A    CITIZEN. 

great  republic,'  they  proceeded  to  call  his  attention  to  the  claims 
of  one  who  had  done  so  much  in  calling  public  attention  to  the 
importance  of  the  enterprise,  and  in  urging  its  adoption  by  Con- 
gress. The  friends  of  the  measure  knew  the  important  part  Mr. 
Reynolds  had  acted,  and  they  were  influenced  not  more  by  a  sense 
of  justice  than  a  desire  for  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  in  asking 
for  Mr.  Reynolds  a  prominent  portion  in  it.  The  commercial  in- 
terests of  the  United  States  in  the  seas  to  be  visited  are  well  known 
to  the  executive  ;  they  are  immense,  and  still  susceptible  of  great 
extension.  In  asking  that  Mr.  Reynolds  be  placed  at  the  head  of 
the  civil  department  attached  to  the  expedition,  was  only  asking,  in 
other  words,  that  he  should  receive  the  appointment  of  commercial 
agent.  Until  recently,  many  of  us  supposed  that  station  had  been 
assigned  to  him ;  that  he  ought  to  have  it,  and  be  authorized  to 
write  the  official  account  of  the  expedition,  we  have  never  doubt- 
ed. That  he  is  eminently  qualified  to  perform  these  duties,  under 
the  sanction  and  regulations  of  the  department,  cannot  be  doubt- 
ed ;  that  he  has  abundantly  earned  the  distinction  which  they 
would  confer  upon  him  will  admit  of  as  little  question. 

"  Mr.  Reynolds  has  uttered  no  complaints  to  his  friends,  and  it 
has  not  been  until  since  the  passage  of  the  last  bill  of  appropria- 
tion that  they  became  aware  of  the  actual  position  the  secretary 
of  the  navy  had  assigned  him  ;  and  not  even  then,  till  the  discus- 
sions in  the  House  seemed  to  leave  some  doubt  whether  he  was  to 
accompany  the  expedition  in  any  capacity  had  led  to  direct  in- 
quiries upon  the  subject.  Any  officer  conversant  with  the  history 
of  this  expedition,  and  knowing  the  relation  Mr.  Reynolds  has 
maintained  to  it,  both  in  and  out  of  Congress,  and  should  object  to 
his  participating  largely  in  its  labours,  would,  from  that  fact,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  undersigned,  be  himself  unfit  to  command ;  and  the 
interests  of  the  expedition  and  the  honour  of  the  country  would, 
in  all  probability,  be  best  consulted  by  his  dismissal,  and  the  sup- 
plying of  his  place  by  one  of  more  just,  liberal,  and  enlarged 
views. 

"  The  undersigned  have  learned  with  deep  regret,  that  to  Mr. 
Reynolds,  the  originator,  the  indomitable  advocate,  who  has  for 
so  long  a  time  persevered  against  every  discouragement,  whose 
knowledge  upon  the  subject  has  been  so  fully  appreciated  by  com- 
mittees and  members  of  Congress,  and  has  enlisted  so  large  a  share 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  513 

of  public  feeling  throughout  the  country,  has  received  from  the 
department  the  meager,  unmeaning  appointment  of  <  correspond- 
ing secretary  to  the  commander,'  to  perform  such  duty  on  the  ex- 
pedition as  the  justice  or  caprice  of  a  commander  might  direct; 
while  the  names  and  duties  of  all  others  composing  the  scientific 
corps,  as  well  as  juniors  in  command,  were  conspicuously  named 
in  the  general  instructions  for  the  guidance  of  the  expedition,  were 
thus  recognised  by  the  department  in  a  document  to  be  preserved 
in  all  coming  time ;  but  in  that  list  and  in  that  document  the 
name  of  J.  N.  Reynolds,  we  learn,  is  nowhere  to  be  found  ;  that 
no  duties  were  assigned  him  by  the  secretary ;  in  a  word,  that  the 
action  of  the  department,  whether  intended  or  not,  would  go  to 
show  that  Mr.  Reynolds  was  not  recognised  by  government,  or 
known  in  the  enterprise,  except  only  so  far  as  he  had  an  order  in 
the  form  of  an  appointment  from  the  secretary,  directing  him  to 
report  to  the  commander  for  duty. 

"  The  undersigned  forbear  farther  comment  on  this  subject,  and 
content  themselves  with  protesting  in  the  name  of  their  constitu- 
ents the  people  of  the  West,  as  well  as  in  their  own  names,  against 
the  continuance  of  such  obvious  injustice  to  their  fellow-citizen, 
who  has,  in  their  opinion,  earned  far  different  treatment  at  the  hands 
of  government.  They  are  aware  that  many  difficulties  have  thus 
far  attended  the  fitting  out  of  the  expedition :  upon  these  difficul- 
ties they  feel  no  disposition  to  dwell.  It  is  enough  for  them  to  call 
the  attention  of  the  president  to  the  subject,  in  a  spirit  of  frankness 
and  kindness,  feeling  assured  that  their  communication  will  be  re- 
ceived in  the  same  spirit,  and  that  the  president  will  at  once  give 
such  directions  as  will  be  satisfactory  to  all  the  parties  concerned. 

"  Very  respectfully,  &c., 
"  Thomas  Corwin,  Ohio.  Thomas  L.  Hamer,  Ohio. 

James  Alexander,  Jun.,  Ohio.         J.  Ridgeway,  Ohio. 

Alexander  Harper,  Ohio.  William  Key  Bond,  Ohio. 

Daniel  Kilgore,  Ohio.  Calvary  Morris,  Ohio. 

J.  W.  Allen,  Ohio.  D.  P.  Leadbetter,  Ohio. 

William  H.  Hunter,  Ohio.  P.  G.  Goode,  Ohio. 

Charles  D.  Coffin,  Ohio.  S.  Mason,  Ohio. 

A.  W.  Snyder,  Illinois.  Thomas  Morris,  Ohio. 

William  Allen,  Ohio.  0.  H.  Smith,  Indiana. 

John  Tipton,  Indiana.  Lucius  Lyon,  Michigan. 


514  LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN. 

James  Rariden,  Indiana.  William  Herod,  Indiana. 

William  Graham,  Indiana.  R.  Boon,  Indiana. 

George  H.  Dunn,  Indiana.  Albert  S.  White,  Indiana. 

William  L.  May,  Illinois.  Zaclok  Casey,  Illinois. 

John  Chancy,  Ohio.  J.  Webster,  Ohio. 
E.  Whittlesey,  Ohio. 

"  Washington,  May  1st,  1838." 

To  J.  N.  Reynolds,  Esq. 

"  New- York,  Nov.  12th,  1837. 

"  DEAR  SIR, 

"  The  members  of  the  scientific  corps  attached  to  the  Southern 
Exploring  Expedition  have,  with  deep  regret,  understood  that  you 
entertain  some  idea  of  resigning  the  commission  by  which  you  are 
at  present  associated  with  us. 

"  Without  pausing  to  inquire  whether  the  position  in  which  you 
are  placed  by  that  document  is  such  a  one  as,  in  justice  to  your 
unwearied  exertions  for  the  success  of  this  great  national  enter- 
prise, should  have  been  assigned  to  you,  we  would  earnestly  re- 
quest you  to  reflect  farther  upon  the  subject  before  making  a  final 
decision. 

"  That  you  would  of  necessity  occupy  a  prominent  station  in  the 
expedition  has  so  long  been  considered  by  us,  in  common  with  the 
whole  country,  as  a  point  beyond  all  question,  the  present  contin- 
gency takes  us  wholly  by  surprise ;  and  we  have  heard,  with  not 
less  astonishment  than  grief,  that  in  the  official  list  of  the  civilians 
connected  with  this  undertaking,  the  name  of  J.  N.  Reynolds  is 
nowhere  to  be  found.  Upon  the  manifest  injustice  of  this  omission 
no  comments  are  requisite.  We  believe  that  through  the  length 
and  breadth  of  our  land,  wherever  the  name  of  the  Exploring  Ex- 
pedition has  been  mentioned,  every  voice  will  be  lifted  up  against 
it.  Neither  is  it  required  that  we  should  enter  into  a  detail  of  the 
many  reasons  for  which  we  consider  your  accompanying  it  to  be  of 
the  utmost  importance  to  the  harmony  and  eventual  success  of  the 
expedition.  Permit  us,  however,  to  assure  you  that  such  is  our 
conviction,  and  to  express  our  sincere  hope  that  the  knowledge  of 
this  fact  may  induce  you  to  sacrifice  your  present  views  and  feel- 
ings in  this  matter  to  the  wishes  of  the  corps,  and  to  consent  to 
retain  a  position  which,  however  it  may  fall  short  of  what  in  jus- 


LETTERS    OF   A    CITIZEN.  515 

tice  should  be  yours,  will  secure  to  us  your  co-operation  in  carrying 
out  successfully  the  great  objects  of  the  voyage.  Our  country, 
never  forgetful  of  the  claims  of  her  children,  will,  we  cannot  doubt, 
in  the  end  award  you  all  that  is  so  justly  your  due,  however  it  may 
be  attempted  to  deprive  you  of  it  at  present.  Trusting  that  our 
appeal,  therefore,  may  produce  the  desired  effect,  we  remain,  dear 
sir,  with  the  highest  respect  and  esteem, 

"  Your  sincere  friends, 

"  Alfred  T.  Agate,  Joseph  P.  Couthouy,  Reynell  Coates,  James  D. 
Dana,  Asa  Gray,  J.  W.  Randall,  James  Eights,  Horatio  Hale, 
Raphael  Hoyle,  W.  R.  Johnson,  Charles  Pickering,  J.  Drayton." 

Sir,  in  sheer  compassion  for  you,  I  will  suppress  the  evidence  in 
my  possession,  additional  to  the  preceding,  that  you  were  address- 
ed directly  and  personally,  in  reference  to  my  appointment,  by  the 
Hon.  Thomas  Corwin,  of  Ohio,  and  will  close  this  letter  with  the 
remarks  of  the  Cincinnati  Republican,  a  paper  that  had  uniformly 
given  you  and  the  president  an  able  support. 

"  This  appeal  or  remonstrance,  for  it  is  a  little  of  both,  was  sent 
to  the  president  early  in  May  last ;  but  its  publication  has  been 
withheld  until  the  present  moment,  in  the  hope  that  justice  would 
have  been  done  Mr.  Reynolds.  But  we  learn  that  it  is  determined 
that  Mr.  Reynolds  shall  not  accompany  the  expedition,  and  the 
communication,  though  signed  by  a  majority  of  the  delegates  in 
Congress  from  the  West,  who  are  friendly  to  the  administration, 
has  not  received  the  courtesy  of  a  notice  from  the  president. 

"  When  we  take  into  consideration  the  uniform  support  the  ex- 
pedition has  always  received  from  the  West,  and  especially  from 
the  Ohio  delegation,  who  took  an  interest  in  the  enterprise  from 
the  fact  that  it  had  been  originated  and  successfully  prosecuted  by 
a  native  of  Ohio,  the  conduct  of  the  executive  seems  almost  unac- 
countable. Here  are  the  wishes  of  the  almost  entire  delegation  of 
the  northwestern  states  strongly  and  manfully  expressed.  On 
what  ground  of  petty  jealousy  are  the  demands  of  this  letter  de- 
nied ?  Was  it  to  gratify  a  secretary  notoriously  opposed  to  the 
expedition  from  the  moment  it  was  projected,  and  whose  ground 
of  hostility  to  Mr.  Reynolds  was  mainly  owing  to  the  fact  that  he 
had  again  and  again  defeated  him  before  Congress  ?  We  assign 
no  other  reason  for  the  conduct  of  the  president  in  this  case. 


516  LETTERS    OF    A   CITIZEN. 

"  Of  the  arrangements  which  have  given  dissatisfaction,  the  ap- 
pointment of  Lieutenant  Wilkes  to  the  command,  over  the  heads  of 
his  seniors  and  superiors  in  every  respect,  is  not  the  least  reprehen- 
sible. Why  was  he  selected  1  Was  it  because  he  was  ready  to  do 
the  bidding  of  an  incompetent  secretary  1  This  is  no  party  meas- 
ure. Strong  men  on  both  sides  have  been  and  are  its  supporters. 
The  country  at  large  bears  the  expense,  and  has  a  right  to  ask  why 
matters  have  been  thus  managed.  The  people  of  Ohio  have  a 
voice  in  the  matter,  and  a  right  to  inquire  if  injustice  has  been 
done  to  one  of  her  citizens — the  author  of  the  measure — who  has, 
by  his  researches  and  publications,  fixed  milestones  and  guide- 
boards  for  those  to  carry  on  the  expedition  who  have  now  got  pos- 
session of  it,  without  the  magnanimity  to  do  justice  to  its  projector. 
The  conduct  of  the  managers  of  this  affair  towards  Mr.  Reynolds 
will  find  no  response  from  honourable  men.  They  may  do  him 
wrong,  but  cannot  put  him  down ;  for,  going  or  staying,  his  triumph 
has  been  complete.  The  spirit  which  his  labours  has  awakened 
will  not  sleep ;  for,  whatever  is  done  in  this  expedition,  or  by  others 
which  may  and  no  doubt  will  follow,  for  the  extension  and  security 
of  commerce  and  the  acquisition  of  scientific  knowledge,  the  coun- 
try will  not  forget  to  whom  it  has  been  mainly  owing." 
Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant  and  fellow 

CITIZEN. 


RETUiv 

— •— — — 

Renewed 


14  DAY 

TO  DESK  FROM  Wl 


on 


